Cavs 2020 Preseason Game Thread

[daytripper]

Yeah I was alot more optimistic a week ago..funny how perceptions can change so easily.
I have strong reservations regarding Garland at this point. They did a good PR job before camp but in these preseason games he just looks like a very undersized scoring guard that can't playmake or defend. I can't think of a worse fit with Sexton in the backcourt.
I had very high hopes for KPJ until his demons surfaced. That video that was released this week looks really bad. I really thought we were one draft pick away (perhaps a big man like Mobley) from becoming a legitimate young, exciting team. Now I'm wondering if we even have 1-2 potential young starters on the roster. Okoro and Sexton might be the two with the most promise and both might be a little undersized for their positions unless they form the future backcourt...but then they somehow need to draft Cade Cunningham or trade for a Ben Simmons type forward that can initiate offense and defend. The KPJ pick was a lottery ticket at the end of the first round who slipped due to character concerns but it's going to set them back a year if Garland ends up busting which I suspect could happen. Maybe he turns out to be a sparkplug Patty Mills type off the bench but that would be a huge whiff for the Cavs who spent such a high pick on him.

 

[Wham with the Right Hand]

I like what I've seen of Garland's floater. Last season he was getting a lot of layups blocked but later in the year he started pulling up for floaters off one foot that were going in. We saw more of that this week. Austin Carr was very complimentary of that shot, noting that he shoots a "dead ball" with no spin that tends to bounce in even when it hits the rim.

When Garland attacks from the angle he uses the glass. The idea is to get the shot up before you get close enough to the rim that a big can swat it.

If Garland can combine his passing skills with an effective floater and 40% shooting from deep he would be a good offensive player. I don't see him as ever being a decent defender unfortunately. He would need a human eraser playing behind him, somebody like Rudy Gobert.

 

[CleveRocks]

The article didnt say he struggled due to him not improving it said it was because he was forcing shots at camp mostly due to rust. You took a part of the article and twisted into something that was not true.

Concern for Sexton?


Sources say Sexton has been struggling in training camp, forcing things quite a bit -- even before spraining his ankle. That carried over into Friday night, Sexton’s first game in more than nine months.


He scored six points on 2-of-11 shooting and 0-of-2 from beyond the arc in 21 minutes.


“I just didn’t have a rhythm,” Sexton admitted. “Haven’t practiced basically, practiced a little bit yesterday but it wasn’t much. Certain shots, certain layups and stuff that I know I’m going to make when the season comes, certain plays I’m gonna make. I really wasn’t too pressed about it. Nine months has been a long time. It’s been a very long time. And just to be out there with the guys, knock the cobwebs off, and just get up and down, it was pretty cool.”


Bickerstaff said Sexton seemed energized during the team’s early shootaround. Maybe a bit too much. But Bickerstaff liked that Sexton displayed his usual burst getting to the basket, fought over screens and made a few plays for his teammates. Sexton finished with a team-high four assists, building on the playmaking strides he made in March. It could have been more. He also committed three turnovers, a sign of rust.


“He just needs to get more of those reps, but I think Collin will be fine,” Bickerstaff said.


Sexton’s evolution will be a storyline. Where does he go after a marvelous finish to the 2019-20 season, emerging as an elite scorer in the Eastern Conference following Jordan Clarkson’s trade? Can Sexton, an undersized shooting guard with a score-first mentality, once again break through the ceiling that outsiders have placed on him? What is his best long-term role?


Those answers will come eventually. In the meantime, his job isn’t expected to change. Not after two quality seasons, averaging 18.5 points on 45% shooting and 39.2% from 3-point range to go with 3.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists. That can’t be overlooked.


“He finished on an extremely high note and I think it’s our responsibility to get him back there,” Bickerstaff said. “The numbers may look different because there’s more options on the floor with him, but our expectation is for him to be aggressive on the offensive end and make the right reads.


“If you look at a guy who’s able to roll out of bed in the NBA, and get you 20 points a night consistently, I think that’s earned. Training camp is hard when you’re injured. It may take us some time to work him back to his normal minutes, things of that nature, just because of injury. I think his performance last year, and at the end of last season, was above and beyond. I think he’s one of those guys that earns the opportunity to play extended minutes.”


Keep an eye on Sexton running the offense from time to time this season. He was used in that role Friday with Exum out. It’s an opportunity to stagger Garland-Sexton minutes.

Cedi Osman makes small forward decision tough on J.B. Bickerstaff: Fedor’s five observations

J.B. Bickerstaff asked his players to make his lineup decisions complicated. Cedi Osman has done his part.

www.cleveland.com

The game was over in the first five minutes of the game but those assists still count. I mean,it was his first preseason game. You act like you were expecting Sexton to ball out when everyone was the struggling too.

I said I am taking preseason with a grain of salt..

But the point remains that the difference between Sexton being a good pick, or an OK pick, is his ability and or willingness to share the rock and play defense.. IMO,. His ceiling on both of those is higher than Garland's. Everyone talking bout Garland's mad passing skills must be watching very different games than I am.. I view Sexton as the more likely to succeed because of the effort he gives..

I hope I am wrong about Garland.. but only time will tell..

 

[Boobie4Three]

You joined over two years ago and this is your first post? OK, Daniel, welcome aboard. Good to see you've put a lot of thought in before saying something.

Did you forget McGee or do you think Maker is better?

I think they keep Okoro at the 3 rather than switching him back and forth in the same game. He's a rookie and they'll want to keep it simple for him. Also, we have Sexton, Porter, and Dotson at the 2, we don't need Okoro there, too.

If Garland were taken where Windler was in the draft would he even be considered as the starting point guard?

I've been a big fan since back in the cavfanatic days of 2006-2012 and only watched here from afar, some years more, some less. I am especially intrigued at the young talent this year with boatloads of possibilities and it almost seems impossible to manage the different playing styles and talents of each. I figured I might as well dip my toe in, contribute, and try and be more committed to understanding the nuances of this team.

I'm sure there'll be a lot of drama and figuring out these pieces is the most enjoyable part as they grow together.

I think the organization is committed to garland, with him being so young and a talented curry-lite shooter, I just dont see a world where he isn't given the throne to run the PG role, through the ups and downs. We aren't supposed to be a playoff team this year, but could certainly challenge the 7th/8th seed if we jell.

This is also Sexton's make or break year. If he regresses badly, he could be demoted to 6th man, where his career arc as Lou Williams/Jamal Crawford will be fulfilled. This would open up the lineup a bit more and could be better for the team in the long run. That is if the team is convinced he cannot be a lead guard...in which the jury is still out. I'm definitely a Sexton fan based on pure grit as a Westbrook lite but I don't know if he can be a net positive team player.

 

[CleveRocks]

I've been a big fan since back in the cavfanatic days of 2006-2012 and only watched here from afar, some years more, some less. I am especially intrigued at the young talent this year with boatloads of possibilities and it almost seems impossible to manage the different playing styles and talents of each. I figured I might as well dip my toe in, contribute, and try and be more committed to understanding the nuances of this team.

I'm sure there'll be a lot of drama and figuring out these pieces is the most enjoyable part as they grow together.

I think the organization is committed to garland, with him being so young and a talented curry-lite shooter, I just dont see a world where he isn't given the throne to run the PG role, through the ups and downs. We aren't supposed to be a playoff team this year, but could certainly challenge the 7th/8th seed if we jell.

This is also Sexton's make or break year. If he regresses badly, he could be demoted to 6th man, where his career arc as Lou Williams/Jamal Crawford will be fulfilled. This would open up the lineup a bit more and could be better for the team in the long run. That is if the team is convinced he cannot be a lead guard...in which the jury is still out. I'm definitely a Sexton fan based on pure grit as a Westbrook lite but I don't know if he can be a net positive team player.

I would say if he does not improve at making his teammates better.. but I think he will do that...My money is that Sexton outperforms his draft position.. I think Okoro has a shot at the same.. I think the sebastian telfair comp for Garland is a ceiling. Windler will be better than Cedi, but has to stay healthy. KPJ is either iguadala good or Delonte.. depends more on what happens between the ears.

 

[ansatsusha80]

I've been a big fan since back in the cavfanatic days of 2006-2012 and only watched here from afar, some years more, some less. I am especially intrigued at the young talent this year with boatloads of possibilities and it almost seems impossible to manage the different playing styles and talents of each. I figured I might as well dip my toe in, contribute, and try and be more committed to understanding the nuances of this team.

I'm sure there'll be a lot of drama and figuring out these pieces is the most enjoyable part as they grow together.

I think the organization is committed to garland, with him being so young and a talented curry-lite shooter, I just dont see a world where he isn't given the throne to run the PG role, through the ups and downs. We aren't supposed to be a playoff team this year, but could certainly challenge the 7th/8th seed if we jell.

This is also Sexton's make or break year. If he regresses badly, he could be demoted to 6th man, where his career arc as Lou Williams/Jamal Crawford will be fulfilled. This would open up the lineup a bit more and could be better for the team in the long run. That is if the team is convinced he cannot be a lead guard...in which the jury is still out. I'm definitely a Sexton fan based on pure grit as a Westbrook lite but I don't know if he can be a net positive team player.

A make or break season for Sexton...what..lol..Don't you mean it's a make or break season for Garland and Cedi..

It's funny,how people put all the emphasis on Sexton but ignore Garland and Cedi...Cedi hasn't improved much since he came into the league and Garland have the excuse of coming back from injury as an excuse for his shitty play last season.

Sexton is the last player I'm worried about,especially if he improves his assists numbers. What would the excuse be if he does that this season because folks tend to nitpick shit when it comes to Sexton.

I said I am taking preseason with a grain of salt..

But the point remains that the difference between Sexton being a good pick, or an OK pick, is his ability and or willingness to share the rock and play defense.. IMO,. His ceiling on both of those is higher than Garland's. Everyone talking bout Garland's mad passing skills must be watching very different games than I am.. I view Sexton as the more likely to succeed because of the effort he gives..

I hope I am wrong about Garland.. but only time will tell..

I believe Sexton will average 5 assists this season,it was obvious that he made it an emphasis of working on his assist numbers. You can see it in the last 20 games of last season and the last preseason game.

Despite,all that people still have questions about his assist numbers.


As,for his defense while it does need to improve people make it sound he doesn't have the ability to get better. I posted a link to a podcast,in his thread,where a guest mentioned while his defense is bad it's not horrible either. Sexton's #1 issue is his on ball screen defense. The guy said that Sexton does a good job going into the passing lanes and has an average on ball defense but his on ball screen defense gets him into alot of trouble.

I think,if Sexton plays better on ball screen defense,hopefully people would shut up about his defense.

 

[Cavatt]

A make or break season for Sexton...what..lol..Don't you mean it's a make or break season for Garland and Cedi..

It's funny,how people put all the emphasis on Sexton but ignore Garland and Cedi...Cedi hasn't improved much since he came into the league and Garland have the excuse of coming back from injury as an excuse for his shitty play last season.

Sexton is the last player I'm worried about,especially if he improves his assists numbers. What would the excuse be if he does that this season because folks tend to nitpick shit when it comes to Sexton.


I believe Sexton will average 5 assists this season,it was obvious that he made it an emphasis of working on his assist numbers. You can see it in the last 20 games of last season and the last preseason game.

Despite,all that people still have questions about his assist numbers.


As,for his defense while it does need to improve people make it sound he doesn't have the ability to get better. I posted a link to a podcast,in his thread,where a guest mentioned while his defense is bad it's not horrible either. Sexton's #1 issue is his on ball screen defense. The guy said that Sexton does a good job going into the passing lanes and has an average on ball defense but his on ball screen defense gets him into alot of trouble.

I think,if Sexton plays better on ball screen defense,hopefully people would shut up about his defense.

Cedi has really improved his shooting. His % hasn't changed much, but his volume is way up and he didn't lose efficiency and he is taking harder shots.

He's not a lottery pick though, so the pressure is not as much on him. I think this is the year though that he really needs to put it together and get more consistent. He's a rotational player, and that is a win with Cedi. I think incremental improvements in his shot and his handle will pay big dividends for Cedi and a lot of said that last year. He worked on those things specifically, so we will have to see. I still don't understand why his defense seems so bad. Starting with Sexton and Garland looked significantly worse than with Okoro and Garland. I hope that isn't all Sexton.

I don't feel like it is a make or break year for Sexton, but he could absolutely solidify himself as a starter if he can play more of a team game including smart passing/decisonmaking and improving his playmaking. He's almost past the 6th man quality because of his consistency and efficiency scoring the ball. However, if he is going to be a good starting guard, we need more.

Garland I am down on. I hope his shot is rusty and it is totally amazing now. He just has to be deadly from 3 or his game will just never be there. Turnovers were alarming, but I am willing to wait and see if playing in a consistent lineup can help with that. There was a summer league vibe to the pre-season and teh lineups were anything but consistent due to injuries.

 

[ansatsusha80]

When we last saw them ...
The Cavs were one of the eight teams not invited to the bubble and finished the season tied with Minnesota for the second-worst record in the league. They only ended up with the No. 5 pick, selecting Isaac Okoro out of Auburn to add to their collection of young talent.


Win-loss projections

• ESPN Forecast: 22-50
• BPI: 13-59
• FiveThirtyEight: 23-49
• Caesars: 22.0 wins | Title odds: +50000

Breakout candidate: Darius Garland

In six games after the All-Star break, before Cleveland's season was cut short, then-rookie Garland was starting to put it together, averaging 13.3 points on 45.9% shooting from the field (39.1% from 3) and 4.2 assists. The skilled combo guard is being counted on to keep progressing in his second season.

Pivot point for 2020-21: What does Cleveland do with Love and Drummond?

Cleveland has close to $60 million locked up in Kevin Love and Andre Drummond for this season. Five years ago that might have been seen as a dominant frontcourt, now it seems more like a challenge to keep both those guys on the court at the same time and be able to match the positionless basketball that has permeated the league.

Love, of course, gives the Cavs a link to the 2016 title team, has a reliable outside shot for a big man and continues to be a leader off the court when it comes to mental health awareness.

Drummond played just eight games with Cleveland after being acquired in a trade from Detroit before the season was shut down. With an uneasy free-agency market, despite that small sample size, Drummond opted in for the final year on his contract to stay with the Cavs. Now the question is whether the Cavaliers will be able to move either of them in order to stack some assets when it could be ready to compete for the playoffs down the line.

NBA power rankings and breakout candidates for all 30 teams

The league is officially back, outside the bubble. Here's everything to know ahead of an NBA season unlike any other.

www.espn.com

 

[Cavatt]

When we last saw them ...
The Cavs were one of the eight teams not invited to the bubble and finished the season tied with Minnesota for the second-worst record in the league. They only ended up with the No. 5 pick, selecting Isaac Okoro out of Auburn to add to their collection of young talent.


Win-loss projections

• ESPN Forecast: 22-50
• BPI: 13-59
• FiveThirtyEight: 23-49
• Caesars: 22.0 wins | Title odds: +50000

Breakout candidate: Darius Garland

In six games after the All-Star break, before Cleveland's season was cut short, then-rookie Garland was starting to put it together, averaging 13.3 points on 45.9% shooting from the field (39.1% from 3) and 4.2 assists. The skilled combo guard is being counted on to keep progressing in his second season.

Pivot point for 2020-21: What does Cleveland do with Love and Drummond?

Cleveland has close to $60 million locked up in Kevin Love and Andre Drummond for this season. Five years ago that might have been seen as a dominant frontcourt, now it seems more like a challenge to keep both those guys on the court at the same time and be able to match the positionless basketball that has permeated the league.

Love, of course, gives the Cavs a link to the 2016 title team, has a reliable outside shot for a big man and continues to be a leader off the court when it comes to mental health awareness.

Drummond played just eight games with Cleveland after being acquired in a trade from Detroit before the season was shut down. With an uneasy free-agency market, despite that small sample size, Drummond opted in for the final year on his contract to stay with the Cavs. Now the question is whether the Cavaliers will be able to move either of them in order to stack some assets when it could be ready to compete for the playoffs down the line.

NBA power rankings and breakout candidates for all 30 teams

The league is officially back, outside the bubble. Here's everything to know ahead of an NBA season unlike any other.

www.espn.com

Nobody mentions the record after the coaching change or how they were rolling before stuff got shut down.

 

[benchplayer]

Quick question, is there any way to stream the Cavs games for those who ditched cable? I'm currently looking into Hulu live but heard that they are dropping Fox Sports Ohio.

 

[ice cream man]

Quick question, is there any way to stream the Cavs games for those who ditched cable? I'm currently looking into Hulu live but heard that they are dropping Fox Sports Ohio.

Hulu live crap anyway. YouTube TV is way better, and used to be $50, but now it's $65. I'm thinking about trying AT&T Now which is $55 I think.

If you get NBA League pass you can't watch live Cavs games but you can view a recording of every game 3 days after it airs.

 

[ansatsusha80]

Nobody mentions the record after the coaching change or how they were rolling before stuff got shut down.

The Cavs beat the Nuggets(swept the season series), Heat,76ers and almost beat the Pacers under Bickerstaff..

The Cavs were 3-4 against teams that made the playoffs under Bickerstaff.

 

[Cavatt]

The Cavs beat the Nuggets(swept the season series), Heat,76ers and almost beat the Pacers under Bickerstaff..

The Cavs were 3-4 against teams that made the playoffs under Bickerstaff.

That Celtics game where Collin scored 40 was down to the wire as well. Utah game was competitive until the last 3 min I believe.

I think we end up seeing a lot more close games that they will still lose a lot

 

[ansatsusha80]

That Celtics game where Collin scored 40 was down to the wire as well. Utah game was competitive until the last 3 min I believe.

I think we end up seeing a lot more close games that they will still lose a lot

I'm more worried about the team playing against sorry teams.They'll show up against most playoff type teams but when it comes to the sorry team we get punched in the mouth or lose close.

 

[Wham with the Right Hand]

The Cavs beat the Nuggets(swept the season series), Heat,76ers and almost beat the Pacers under Bickerstaff..

The Cavs were 3-4 against teams that made the playoffs under Bickerstaff.

Not exactly. The win over Miami was in overtime in a game where Jimmy Butler was out. No way the Cavs beat Miami with Butler in the lineup. Two days earlier Miami beat the Cavs at home by 19, also without Butler.

In the home win over the Sixers, Embiid left after 8 minutes with a shoulder injury and the Cavs won by 14.

My point is that Miami without Bulter and Philly without Embiid are nothing special, especially on the road.

OTOH, Denver was a great win as the Nuggets were 42-20 coming into that game. The Cavs went with a 7-man rotation with Garland, Porter, and Drummond injured. The starters were Love, Osman, TT, Sexton, and Delly. Nance and McKinnie came off the bench. Delly had 14 assists. TT held Jokic to 8 points. '

The Cavs played better after Bickerstaff took over but those wins over Miami and Philly should be taken with a grain of salt.

FWIW, Brooklyn blasted Golden State tonight, leading by 28 after three quarters and winning by 25. Kyrie was a +32 and Durant +26. Steph was 2-for-10 on 3's. Wiseman started for GS and had 19 points and 6 boards in 24 minutes. Andrew Wiggins was 4-for-16 for the W's. Not an encouraging first game.