• Changing RCF's index page, please click on "Forums" to access the forums.

2020-2021 Cavs Season General Discussion

Do Not Sell My Personal Information
Funkmastabuck said:
I initially viewed Okoro as that guy, but watching him play the 1st few weeks of his career, his size just looks more suited to guard the SG position. Cedi is a very capable role player. Same with Prince.
Click to expand...
Very possible now that Porter is gone and Cedi seems to have stepped up his game. With Cedi, Prince, and Windler at SF we could move Okoro to the 3 and he would be a Dante Exum type who shuts down the opponent's shooting guard - the Bradley Beals and Klay Thompsons and Victor Oladipos of the league.

His strength would allow him to switch onto small forwards or even 4's when necessary.

I asked the other day if Cedi is being moved to SG. Maybe it's Okoro, or maybe they both swing. But with Okoro, Cedi, Prince, and now Windler there is definitely a logjam at SF. Actually, I could see Windler at the 3 as well.
 
Last edited:
Adam said:
We often talk about the Cavs establishing a culture that can get more questionable attitudes to buy in. What if that questionable talent this year is Andre Drummond. With our depth we can use a short leash and keep him focussed on doing the productive things. He's an X factor when focused
Click to expand...
It sounds like Drummond is all in.

"The potential for this team is endless,” Drummond said. “We have all the tools to be a great team. There’s no reason why we can’t beat the best teams in the NBA, we have all the tools to do it. We have the heart, we have the drive to do it. Offensively, we allow things to happen. But defensively is where we hang our hat at, we try to give it our all and make it tough for teams to play against us. And it’s working."

That statement reminds me of what Bickerstaff said before the season; he wants the Cavs to be a team that everyone hates to play because they just outwork you the whole game and are relentless on defense. After seven losing seasons in eight years in Detroit Andre sounds like he's having a pretty good time. He's not the only one who believes in this team's potential.

“We’ve had a lot of different lineups out there on the court and I feel like it’s helping us,” Sexton said. “Like coach says, if we’re sharing the ball and having fun no one can probably beat us. I feel like it’s scary to see our potential, especially when we get everyone back in the lineup. Listen, the sky’s the limit for us.”

And speaking of sharing the ball, guess who had 9 assists last night? And Drummond was second on the team with four.
 
On his podcast Fedor pointed out how amazing it was for the Cavs to be 7-7 (now 8-7) in spite of being second in the league in games missed due to injury. He pointed out that it's not the guys on the end of the bench, either, it's starters and key rotation players; Love for 13 games, Garland for 8 games, Sexton and Okoro for five games and Exum for six games before he was traded. Not to mention Porter for 14 games.

Is it too early to talk about having two Coaches of the Year in this town?
 
Wham with the Right Hand said:
On his podcast Fedor pointed out how amazing it was for the Cavs to be 7-7 (now 8-7) in spite of being second in the league in games missed due to injury. He pointed out that it's not the guys on the end of the bench, either, it's starters and key rotation players; Love for 13 games, Garland for 8 games, Sexton and Okoro for five games and Exum for six games before he was traded. Not to mention Porter for 14 games.

Is it too early to talk about having two Coaches of the Year in this town?
Click to expand...

I dont think it's out of the question. However, the *bigger* thing is having two teams that are typically forgotten about that their Leagues are now getting forced to be *respected* (if not feared) for what feels like a much more sustainable period and not a fluke season. The Cavaliers (and Browns) appear to be in the first years of being actual threats. And they've been set up to absolutely do it for years to come because of the people in place. Really good years, and even better years to come? Sign. Me. Up.
 
Fedor tweet:

Cavs are going to win a handful of games this season simply because teams aren't going to want to deal with -- and won't be able to match -- their incessant physicality for a full 48.

Which reminds me of this quote by Bickerstaff prior to the season:

We want to be the type of team that plays so hard, competes so hard that we get four or five wins because people just don’t feel like dealing with us. The two things that we continue to push to our guys is can we be the most competitive team on the floor every night and the most unselfish team?

So far, so good.
 
What i'm afraid of is that we are outcompeting teams and playing harder than everyone. What if our talent is not there yet? what if we actually need to add that last high caliber talent to compete when it matters, like in the playoffs?
 
Sir'Dom Pointer said:
What i'm afraid of is that we are outcompeting teams and playing harder than everyone. What if our talent is not there yet? what if we actually need to add that last high caliber talent to compete when it matters, like in the playoffs?
Click to expand...
Aka the Nets of recent years. that’s possible.

A lot of these sure playoff teams are going to be coasting during the regular season. Getting their wins against lesser talented teams who don’t show up like the Cavs do.

you need superstars to be an actual contender. The Cavs still need one top 20 player to complete the rebuild imo. Now that a top pick is looking unlikely, the Cavs may be hoping for a Kawhi-Raptors esque trade to push them into true contention down the road.

The question becomes, would you rather be a Playoff team for 5 to 7 years but never win a ring or win a ring again and revert to badness for a while
 
Alec Zander said:
Aka the Nets of recent years. that’s possible.

A lot of these sure playoff teams are going to be coasting during the regular season. Getting their wins against lesser talented teams who don’t show up like the Cavs do.

you need stars to get out of the second round. The Cavs still need one top 20 player to complete the rebuild imo. Now that a top pick is looking unlikely, the Cavs may be hoping for a Kawhi-Raptors esque trade to push them into true contention down the road.
Click to expand...

Right. Let's also not forget that the top teams had a very short break because of the Corona. Teams may be coasting, and the Cavs are playing their heart out.

A top pick would have been optimal, but at this point it's highly unlikely and we are so far into that winning thing, player development and culture change that it would actually hurt what we are trying to establish.

No matter how you look at it, it will be a wasted opportunity to significantly raise the ceiling...but it also has a chance to lower the floor, I presume. Though, I just don't see how the Cavs can actually lose enough games when they play so hard and play well regardless of who's on the floor. Not to mention, we can't even have moral losses with this team like being competitive with our starting 5 and lose some games because of a shitty bench or some tank commanders. This team is well balanced and has positive players from 1-10.

At this point we may as well just enjoy the winning. I might as well just enjoy the ride. I guess. A good problem to have, but could be a wasted opportunity to field a real contender down the line.
 
In the event they narrowly miss the playoffs, just pray they get lottery luck and jump into the top 5. Could change the course of the franchise the next 5-10 years.
 
Tell you what I really didn’t watch the Cavs much until the past couple games.. but they have quickly won me over and I find myself excited for when they play next.. hoping they beat the damn Celtics Sunday
 
Sir'Dom Pointer said:
Right. Let's also not forget that the top teams had a very short break because of the Corona. Teams may be coasting, and the Cavs are playing their heart out.

A top pick would have been optimal, but at this point it's highly unlikely and we are so far into that winning thing, player development and culture change that it would actually hurt what we are trying to establish.

No matter how you look at it, it will be a wasted opportunity to significantly raise the ceiling...but it also has a chance to lower the floor, I presume. Though, I just don't see how the Cavs can actually lose enough games when they play so hard and play well regardless of who's on the floor. Not to mention, we can't even have moral losses with this team like being competitive with our starting 5 and lose some games because of a shitty bench or some tank commanders. This team is well balanced and has positive players from 1-10.

At this point we may as well just enjoy the winning. I might as well just enjoy the ride. I guess. A good problem to have, but could be a wasted opportunity to field a real contender down the line.
Click to expand...
I get the lotto pick point, even if it didn't cross my mind during this good stretch.

But, last I checked, the Cavs games over the Nets were listed as "W," not "W but the Nets were coasting/had no offseason/were missing players" (as much as the east coast media is trying to make it the latter.)

KD...can't win wid deze cats?
 
Alec Zander said:
Aka the Nets of recent years. that’s possible.

A lot of these sure playoff teams are going to be coasting during the regular season. Getting their wins against lesser talented teams who don’t show up like the Cavs do.

you need superstars to be an actual contender. The Cavs still need one top 20 player to complete the rebuild imo. Now that a top pick is looking unlikely, the Cavs may be hoping for a Kawhi-Raptors esque trade to push them into true contention down the road.

The question becomes, would you rather be a Playoff team for 5 to 7 years but never win a ring or win a ring again and revert to badness for a while
Click to expand...

The way this team is playing looks to me like they could potentially end up as a 2018 Raptors- level team without adding anyone. Purely as a scorer, Sexton may measure up to Kawhi at some point, and the rest of our team may be able to fill those other roles.

I know that may sound ridiculous, and they still have growing to do...but the key pieces may be here already.
 
Even if our pick lands around 15 or so this year, I have confidence Altman drafts a long term piece because this draft is really good and there will be some good pieces in that range.. people need to enjoy the wins and growth these guys are showing because something special is brewing
 
Sir'Dom Pointer said:
What i'm afraid of is that we are outcompeting teams and playing harder than everyone. What if our talent is not there yet? what if we actually need to add that last high caliber talent to compete when it matters, like in the playoffs?
Click to expand...

Definitely a good problem to have.

I've been saying we need to construct a roster and culture like the Miami Heat...young guys who are hungry, willing to work hard and compete, that is what they hang their hats on. And that is what attracted a guy like Jimmy Butler.

There aren't a whole lot of Jimmy Butlers out there - 1st or 2nd-tier superstars who WANT to put in that grit and grind - but we are setting ourselves up for that to be an option.

In the meantime, enjoy the ride.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Rubber Rim Job Podcast Video

Episode 3-14: "Time for Playoff Vengeance on Mickey"

Rubber Rim Job Podcast Spotify

Episode 3:14: " Time for Playoff Vengeance on Mickey."
Top