Koby Altman nailed, then failed to take breathalyzer…

cabs said:

Rozier is a better fit with Lamelo than Graham, Rozier is also a better player than Graham

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Yeah, that is very true. But he is also on a much bigger contract and they desperately need a Center, and the only way to make it work is by trading Rozier. I'm not saying that it's the right move for them, but it is plausible.

I do think Rozier is on a hot streak, and will eventually regress to his recent numbers.

kidduck said:

Some perspective:

"When we set out on this mission, from the post-Championship years, we weren’t really gifted anything; it wasn’t like we had a plethora of assets,” said Altman. “We had to make a monumental trade and so that was our sole, big asset that we had, in terms of a draft pick. And we had to go down a path of asset acquisition. And it was a lot of singles – hitting singles, singles, singles.


”So, what you’re seeing over the last few transactions is really just cashing in on those singles. Using trade exceptions, using picks, using second round picks to get you into different conversations. And when an opportunity like this happens, you’re overjoyed because you put yourself in a position to strike. And we’ll see where it goes from here. But it puts us in a wonderful position to play competitive basketball this year and bring a long-term piece to the team who’s the right age with our core.”

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Very wise words. No wonder he got the position at such a young age.

Muffinalt said:

Very wise words. No wonder he got the position at such a young age.

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Now we will see what he turns Drummond, McGee and prince into

Drummond has mostly played with good effort for the Cavs.

It must be the cynic in me that thinks much of his motivation is with both eyes on his next contract.
I acknowledge that such an approach is a natural human reaction.

The current injury list makes judging his recent performance a bit tricky. However, there has
been a noticeable increase in his negative body language on the court- like looks of
disgust for teammates not getting him the ball(even in the many cases he isn't open), moping
toward the refs about foul calls on both ends of the court.

On a different matter, how the heck does a man with his size and strength end
up on the floor so often on action around the rim?

Another gripe I have is how often Dre leaves his man to double a different player
who is making a scoring move. That guy dumps the ball into Dres' man and
it's all she wrote.

If Allen eats into his minutes on the court, it could really develop into a problem. Dre will
never accept being a lesser option, especially in his contract year.

All these guys have egos, but Drummond wants to be the big dog, even in phases of
the game where he clearly lacks high level skills.

I'd be willing to gamble that Allens' overall game can surpass the positive
impact currently in Drummonds' repertoire as a fit for the Cavs and the direction
the club is being built.

It will be very interesting to see how his situation plays out.

Cavs should trade McGee for a late first-round pick or a young Developing big.

Cavs should hold on to Andre if they can and see if they can possibly work any sign and trade deals for Dre if they can't trade him by the deadline.

Not sure how many teams will have space this summer, but if the Cavs can't do a sign and trade, maybe offer Dre a Market contract that is tradable. I think for this season Allen would be fine coming off the bench as long as you pay him this summer. Also, I wouldn't mind the idea of starting both Allen and Drummond and see what the hell happens. Bring in McGee and Nance off the bench.

I agree it will be interesting at least.

I also suspect that the Cavs are playing with dynamite with Andre Drummond. Any perceived decrease in PT or position on the team to develop Allen I think results in his approach quickly going south, and the Cavs can't let that drag the entire team down. Hope I'm wrong, I hope AD is mature enough to understand the situation and be a team player....

He'll only be tanking himself if he does that and I think he's smart enough to get it.

The Human Q-Tip said:

The reaction to this thread when it was initially posted from a lot of us --including from me -- was a big eye-roll. The fact that fortune ended up making him right is pretty hilarious.

You da man, @JJ_PR

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I am still rolling my eyes. The rebuild is not nailed. You would have to be historically incompetent as a GM not to be able to at least get some young talent on the team with a bunch of high draft picks and trade pieces. Koby has shown he is not a historically incompetent GM, which given Cleveland's history is reassuring, but he hasn't shown that he is an above average GM. So far this year we are playing about as well as the Knicks and I don't think anyone here would say that the Knicks have clearly "nailed the rebuild".

I like the Jarret Allen pickup fine, but I think people are overestimating how important it is. Allen is young but he is in his fourth year of consistent NBA play which is usually enough to tell a lot about a player and their potential. He is one of the best rim runners in the league and a plus defender, but he is not a good shooter and does not have a fully rounded offensive game.

I also have not moved from my view that the Kyrie trade was a disaster. That trade broke up a CHAMPIONSHIP LEVEL TEAM and replaced it with a team that could not offer any kind of adequate support to Lebron. It was a factor in him leaving when he did. If we had been able to keep Lebron just one more year and give him any good support we could have won another championship as Golden State collapsed due to injuries. Until we have replaced that championship level team with a team that is at least a high level playoff contender, and done it using results from that trade, I continue to think the trade was a disaster.

It's tough to trade Andre, but not impossible. He's a top 3 defensive center right now. Someone with a strong core can limit his shot attempts.

cavsfever said:

I am still rolling my eyes. The rebuild is not nailed. You would have to be historically incompetent as a GM not to be able to at least get some young talent on the team with a bunch of high draft picks and trade pieces. Koby has shown he is not a historically incompetent GM, which given Cleveland's history is reassuring, but he hasn't shown that he is an above average GM. So far this year we are playing about as well as the Knicks and I don't think anyone here would say that the Knicks have clearly "nailed the rebuild".

I like the Jarret Allen pickup fine, but I think people are overestimating how important it is. Allen is young but he is in his fourth year of consistent NBA play which is usually enough to tell a lot about a player and their potential. He is one of the best rim runners in the league and a plus defender, but he is not a good shooter and does not have a fully rounded offensive game.

I also have not moved from my view that the Kyrie trade was a disaster. That trade broke up a CHAMPIONSHIP LEVEL TEAM and replaced it with a team that could not offer any kind of adequate support to Lebron. It was a factor in him leaving when he did. If we had been able to keep Lebron just one more year and give him any good support we could have won another championship as Golden State collapsed due to injuries. Until we have replaced that championship level team with a team that is at least a high level playoff contender, and done it using results from that trade, I continue to think the trade was a disaster.

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How many playoffs has Kyrie played in since 2017? I like our young talent much more than the Knicks. I would take KPJ over Barrett any day. Robinson was a steal and i was jealous of him until we got Allen.

Koby traded and traded and traded and collected assets and then got a young up and coming guy that is 22 that fits the identity of the team. He did exactly the right thing here.

cavsfever said:

I am still rolling my eyes. The rebuild is not nailed. You would have to be historically incompetent as a GM not to be able to at least get some young talent on the team with a bunch of high draft picks and trade pieces. Koby has shown he is not a historically incompetent GM, which given Cleveland's history is reassuring, but he hasn't shown that he is an above average GM. So far this year we are playing about as well as the Knicks and I don't think anyone here would say that the Knicks have clearly "nailed the rebuild".

I like the Jarret Allen pickup fine, but I think people are overestimating how important it is. Allen is young but he is in his fourth year of consistent NBA play which is usually enough to tell a lot about a player and their potential. He is one of the best rim runners in the league and a plus defender, but he is not a good shooter and does not have a fully rounded offensive game.

I also have not moved from my view that the Kyrie trade was a disaster. That trade broke up a CHAMPIONSHIP LEVEL TEAM and replaced it with a team that could not offer any kind of adequate support to Lebron. It was a factor in him leaving when he did. If we had been able to keep Lebron just one more year and give him any good support we could have won another championship as Golden State collapsed due to injuries. Until we have replaced that championship level team with a team that is at least a high level playoff contender, and done it using results from that trade, I continue to think the trade was a disaster.

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Good for you. LeBron was gone no matter what Altman did. So was Kyrie for that matter. To get that Nets pick with no leverage was the best thing they could have done in the Irving trade. That's why I was ok with the trade then and still am.

TheISHT said:

Cavs should trade McGee for a late first-round pick or a young Developing big.

Cavs should hold on to Andre if they can and see if they can possibly work any sign and trade deals for Dre if they can't trade him by the deadline.

Not sure how many teams will have space this summer, but if the Cavs can't do a sign and trade, maybe offer Dre a Market contract that is tradable. I think for this season Allen would be fine coming off the bench as long as you pay him this summer. Also, I wouldn't mind the idea of starting both Allen and Drummond and see what the hell happens. Bring in McGee and Nance off the bench.

I agree it will be interesting at least.

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As @Alabuckeye said, I think you're playing with dynamite regarding Drummond.

The sooner the Cavs can get him out of here and move on, the better. We're not going to get anything of value for him.

Heck, Hassan Whiteside averaged 15.5 points 13.5 rebounds and 2.9 blocks starting all last year for the Blazers and signed for $2.3 million with the Kings. I know Andre is a more versatile defender, but how much more valuable than Whiteside is he really? Whiteside was far more efficient last year than Drummond has ever been.

Cavatt said:

How many playoffs has Kyrie played in since 2017? I like our young talent much more than the Knicks. I would take KPJ over Barrett any day. Robinson was a steal and i was jealous of him until we got Allen.

Koby traded and traded and traded and collected assets and then got a young up and coming guy that is 22 that fits the identity of the team. He did exactly the right thing here.

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Absolutely. To say otherwise is Moronic

One more season of LBJ and Kyrie was not going to make a difference given GSW's acquisition of Durant, and the significant dropoff in defense among the Cavs wings from 2016.

cavsfever said:

I am still rolling my eyes. The rebuild is not nailed. You would have to be historically incompetent as a GM not to be able to at least get some young talent on the team with a bunch of high draft picks and trade pieces.

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I don't totally disagree with this. The two easiest parts of a rebuild is gutting payroll and collecting draft picks. The extremely hard part is putting a team together that is willing to set aside ego enough to play to their strengths.

So where I think things are trending up on Altman's rebuild is the second part. It's a shame we haven't had 12 games of a mostly healthy roster, but early indications were good. And the Cavs continue to fight in games even when completely out gunned/out classed by talent.

Jury should still be out on Altman.

I don't kill him for Irving deal, I just feel like that was as much a Gilbert deal as it was Altman. If anything, it feels like Koby cleaned up the mess Dan made later that season. I liked the pivot at the time, and while that Cavs team was not going to beat the KD Warriors, they were a better squad than what the Cavs had the start of the season.

Things you should question:
John Beilien hiring: was this also a Gilbert thing? It felt Gilbert-y, but there were reports it wasn't. That entire offseason was sold as the Cavs finding a player development coach, younger guy who could relate yaddayadda.. then they bring in Grampa from his lake Michigan summer home to take care of the kids.
Drummond trade: I get why they took him, since it was basically a give away, but the fit with the roster was odd then, and is now odd again with Allen.. he's basically been a square peg on the roster since arriving save for the short period of time injuries decimated the line up. The other thing on this is it basically meant you couldn't bring back TT, and maybe it wasn't going to happen anyway, but TT for $9 mill and providing veteran leadership on this squad would be preferable to AD imo.. I could be very wrong on this, just kind of my feeling
Kevin Love re-signing: I understand why, I do.. I get that they wanted to maintain some credibility and stability, and extending Kev probably felt like that was being accomplished, and maybe it did.. maybe why they play hard now is because of that stability (if there is one thing we can all agree on Kevin Love always plays hard).. but now, even if healthy, Kevin creates awkward minute distributions, and he isn't the post player he was in Minny, and is only sometimes the shooter you need him to be, and further, he's always injured.. and he's always been a bit of an injury risk, Cavs actually got lucky to get 75+ games out of him in '14/'15' and 15/'16, Was there anybody else lining up for Love a few years ago?
Kevin Porter Jr: I love KPjr.. and I hope he gets healthy, gets the support he needs and ultimately works out for the Cavs, and at #30 in the draft, I get the flyer on his talent, which seemed like it was about to seriously pay off, until it didn't.. and his personal issues were why he was available to you so late.

But, I do love the Allen deal, I like the Garland pick (which was super risky, but assuming he can get healthy..), Sexton has developed when I thought he was basically a lost cause as a blackhole scorer, getting Larry Nance and re-signing him to what is now one of the better contracts in the NBA, Okoro seems like at least a solid double and beyond players, the culture feels right in Cleveland. The team likes each other, plays hard.. that's no small feat in the NBA, imo. and this was created over a few pretty tumultuous seasons.