Summer of 2024. That's the deadline for us to get our salary cap logistics in order because this dude is gonna qualify for a supermax extension. Barring injury, I think Evan Mobley will be a top five player in this league someday.
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Evan Mobley: 2023 All Defensive 1st Team
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I know it's early, but Detroit and Houston both may end up kicking themselves by passing on what may well be the two best rookies in Mobley and Barnes.
All4One1ForAll
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JBB seems like a good guy and the players seem to like him. But if our goal is to actually win games at some point and not just have a team that gets along, we’re gonna need a replacement that can do more than just relate to the guys. I want a coach that’s actually great with the X’s and O’s and can implement some offensive and defensive structure.
Ohio
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If there was a re-draft today, I'd take Mobley #1 without hesitation.
I mean we really haven't seen Cade. He hasn't played since SL. Missed Preseason and start of the season. I'm not too high on Cade. As for Houston it's early but Green is not looking as advertised. But it also took Anthony Edwards some time before adjusting to the league. Houston has more reason to worry then Detroit. But 5 days into the season neither should be worried yet.
He was my #1 pick before the draft. We were so lucky to get him.
ansatsusha80
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CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Kevin Garnett. Anthony Davis. Dirk Nowitzki. Giannis Antetokounmpo.
The Cleveland Cavaliers have already pulled video clips from those greats, wanting rookie Evan Mobley to emulate each one in a different way.
They’re not comparing Mobley to them. They’re not asking him to become them. Mobley is unique. But the Cavs believe there are specific pieces that can be implemented to help his evolution. A superstar fusion.
Antetokounmpo’s length and speed with the ball in his hands, and an ability to play off the catch while attacking bigger defenders. Nowitzki’s footwork. Davis’ rebound-and-run and well as paint protection. Garnett’s defensive positioning and recognition.
During Saturday’s 101-95 win over the Atlanta Hawks that ended Cleveland’s two-game losing skid to open the season, coach J.B. Bickerstaff took the impersonation to another level. He deployed Mobley exactly like young Garnett on defense, putting the wunderkind at the top of a stifling 3-2 zone, having him roam and cover ground.
“It’s a Flip Saunders zone that I watched a lot when I was in Minnesota,” Bickerstaff said. “Seeing Evan’s ability to move through that made me think of when KG was playing at the top of that zone. That position he plays in that zone is not an easy position. You’ve got to quarterback it from the front and also see and be aware of what’s behind you. The way he picks up things, you tell him something and he goes and does it, and that’s not common for young players.”
Over the summer, after the Cavs selected Mobley with the No. 3 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, Bickerstaff and his assistants studied Saunders’ strategy and wondered whether it would work with Mobley -- a long, mobile, rangy, heady defender who is already making a palpable impact at that end of the floor. Mobley has seven blocks in the first three games, becoming just the second rookie in Cavaliers history to reach that mark in the first three games, joining Roy Hinson.
During the weeklong break in the preseason schedule, between the fourth game against Chicago and the finale in Indiana, Bickerstaff put in that imposing zone as part of their defensive package. He was waiting for the right time to use it. After obvious defensive struggles in the first two games, ranking 25th in defensive efficiency, and then the Hawks following with a 55-point first half Saturday, Bickerstaff went with it to start the third quarter.
Atlanta failed to score on its first four possessions. The Cavs used an 8-0 run to jump in front.
“I feel like that really swung the game,” Mobley said. “I feel like they really didn’t know what to do for a second and it slowed the game down. That zone worked well for us tonight. I think we’re probably going to use it again this season.”
Count on it. Mobley was everywhere.
“It definitely is fun, moving around and not really having a man,” Mobley said. “Just following the ball and trying to make plays wherever the ball is at. Wherever the ball goes I go. It’s not too hard. Gets a little tiring moving to all the spots, but feel like we do a good job of communicating and telling me where to go and stuff. It’s weird for the offense to play in because I’m in a lot of different spots.”
Shortly after camp opened, Bickerstaff spoke about not giving Mobley too much responsibility. He’s the franchise centerpiece, expected to eventually yank the Cavs out of this perpetual rebuild, so they want to make sure they mold him properly.
But nothing has overwhelmed him yet. He picks things up quickly. He’s never fazed, always wearing a look of calm. He responds to every challenge, already earning the coach’s trust. It’s early, but he has plowed through every obstacle thus far.
Bickerstaff admits that sometimes what Mobley’s asked to do is unfair. He’s only 20 years old, three games into what they hope -- and believe -- will be a special career. But how are they supposed to pull back when he’s already one of their best players?
“He’s a bad boy,” Bickerstaff told cleveland.com after the game. “I keep trying to manage his expectations but he keeps blowing my mind.”
During Saturday’s win, Mobley recorded his first career double-double. He scored 17 points to go with 11 rebounds, four blocks, one assist and a steal in a team-high 35 minutes.
“He’s going to be a guy who’s going to get a double-double every night,” Kevin Love said of Mobley. “He’s got a huge future in front of him. He’s going to make a number of All-Defensive teams in his career. He’s just getting started.”
“Evan will be a really good player,” Ricky Rubio added. “But there’s a lot of players in this league who came in and really have a really successful first year, but then get lost because he didn’t have any help. And there’s nobody in this league who can do it by their own. There has to be those veterans.”
The Cavs recognize that as well. It’s why Rubio was acquired in a trade. It’s why there are unlikely to be any buyout discussions with Love. Why Ed Davis -- known as one of the league’s best mentors, a guy who played a significant role in Jarrett Allen becoming a $100 million player -- was signed as the 15th man.
Moving forward, everything will be done with Mobley in mind. It’s all designed to help him reach his unlimited potential.
That process has already started, with visions of some of the best to ever play the position.
“He’s asking me to emulate them but knows I’m still my own player,” Mobley said of Bickerstaff’s plan. “It’s still me being me. It’s not too much. I try to play my game, take bits and pieces from them, but still be myself and play how I play.”
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Man Called X
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I made comments that he was KG type player with a Duncan like demeanor. I didn't expect that 3 games into his career, he'd look like prime Garnett operating in that defensive zone. Just holy shit, I'm still blown away how good he's been. I remember watching LeBron's rookie year and thinking that he could be a top 5 player in the league. I get those same kind of vibes watching Mobley. Just absolutely franchise changing talent. His defensive potential is unreal. A single man defensive unit.
Can we bring back Z in a special capacity to work with Mobley on the volley tap off the boards? Can we get him working with Hakeem to learn the Dream Shake? I'm just in awe at how lucky we got.
*Eat that ass* Thank god we traded KPJ btw. Or Mobley would've went to Houston.
Can we bring back Z in a special capacity to work with Mobley on the volley tap off the boards? Can we get him working with Hakeem to learn the Dream Shake? I'm just in awe at how lucky we got.
*Eat that ass* Thank god we traded KPJ btw. Or Mobley would've went to Houston.
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cabs
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He had one of the greatest airballs of all time yesterday, was replayed all over twitter
I'mWithDan
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Got to catch the condensed game this AM. The thing that stands out to me, above all else, is the combination of his defensive IQ / physical skills is something truly, truly special.
I know he does a lot of other things…..but as a skinny rookie, who shouldn’t really be all that impactful (especially as a big man) there were probably 15 times last night where his defensive ability alone either erased a shot attempt, altered one or forced Atlanta to take a tougher shot because of how he rotated.
I’m really blanking on the last 7 footer who has had such an incredible combination of physical ability and feel / IQ on defense.
I know he does a lot of other things…..but as a skinny rookie, who shouldn’t really be all that impactful (especially as a big man) there were probably 15 times last night where his defensive ability alone either erased a shot attempt, altered one or forced Atlanta to take a tougher shot because of how he rotated.
I’m really blanking on the last 7 footer who has had such an incredible combination of physical ability and feel / IQ on defense.
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Sir'Dom Pointer
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I thought about it after the game, but the Cavs will need to build a team around Mobley sooner rather than later.
And my benchmarks are firstly:
Do not use him as a band aid defensively like you are using him now to cover for the other player's deficiencies. Build a team around his defensive playmaking. There are a lot of good defensive big man... you have the rim protectors like Gobert who's main team philosophy is to funnel players towards the rim and not switch too much and you have the capable players who can switch on the perimeter and there are the players that can do both at an adequate level. But you never, almost never have guys that can do both at an elite level. Scratch that, not only is he able to excel in these areas, but also in a zone, help defense and basically every fucking thing. You take advantage of this shit.
The team's philosophy should have to create defensive mismatches, not offensive ones. I wanna talk about the the big lineup we are currently rolling with -- it's pretty useless if you are sooo undersized and defensively inept in the back court. What's the point of it if you are getting killed on the boards, players still over-rotate and you can't switch effectively because the backcourt is incapable of rebounding or defending the post? Meh, even offensively none of the front court players is good in the post so one of the main advantages of such lineup goes to waste.
I was advocating for this lineup before it was official, but I had Okoro in place of Sexton and Mobley guarding the perimeter. Mobley should always start guarding the perimeter to start the defensive possession imho. But that should not be the long term answer, obviously.
Anyways, m general idea is that the Cavs will want to aim towards a combination of what Toronto and GSW (2015-6 ver) were trying to do, but on steroids. Both of these teams had/have defensive weaknesses though. Toronto while very switchable team, lack great shot blocking. GSW could cover for a lot of Curry's deficiencies with Klay, Green, Igoudala, etc and could block shots as well as switch when needed. But Bogut was still a weakness when he was targeted on the perimeter and Curry was still a target in the post and on the perimeter against good players. They were great at incorporating a double switching (guard that was switched towards the big man roller immediately switched back with the big not involved in the play from the opposite corner). Later with Durant they changed their philosophy into hedge heavy, double team heavy PnR defense with constant defensive rotations and Durant hanging around as a rim protector. They adopted to their personnel which was incredible and impressive.
I'm rambling, but the first move should be separating Sexton and Garland. Trying to incorporate Windler once healthy to more lineups that feature the starting unit.
Just fucking try to figure out how to find that two way wing and sorry, according to this philosophy Markannen is not the long term fit at any spot as a starter. You want to be bulletproof defensively at the 3-5. And one switchable player at the 1-2.
Anyways, it's just an idea as in reality finding two way players and not just specialists is an awfully difficult task, but Cavs have done the harder part, finding the player, now they need to figure out the identity they want to take on, and I don't believe they should just find players for the sake of just being better. Mobley gives you a very good idea of where you should go and what you should be doing. Even before he is molded. GSW built a team to hide Curry's defensive deficiencies and maximize his offensive prowess, and the Cavs should do the same.
It's easy to build around a guy like Mobley..in theory it makes you avert to overpaying players because you know what you want to be looking for. Like compard to a guy like Jalen Green even if he becomes a great player will always have deficiencies and at the end of the day is still purely a scoring guard with below average defense. With those guys things are less clear and defined, which may result in some weird roster construction just for the sake of being better. With Mobley teams can take their time and keep the checks blank for the time the proper fellas come along.
We should fire up the draft thread.
And my benchmarks are firstly:
Do not use him as a band aid defensively like you are using him now to cover for the other player's deficiencies. Build a team around his defensive playmaking. There are a lot of good defensive big man... you have the rim protectors like Gobert who's main team philosophy is to funnel players towards the rim and not switch too much and you have the capable players who can switch on the perimeter and there are the players that can do both at an adequate level. But you never, almost never have guys that can do both at an elite level. Scratch that, not only is he able to excel in these areas, but also in a zone, help defense and basically every fucking thing. You take advantage of this shit.
The team's philosophy should have to create defensive mismatches, not offensive ones. I wanna talk about the the big lineup we are currently rolling with -- it's pretty useless if you are sooo undersized and defensively inept in the back court. What's the point of it if you are getting killed on the boards, players still over-rotate and you can't switch effectively because the backcourt is incapable of rebounding or defending the post? Meh, even offensively none of the front court players is good in the post so one of the main advantages of such lineup goes to waste.
I was advocating for this lineup before it was official, but I had Okoro in place of Sexton and Mobley guarding the perimeter. Mobley should always start guarding the perimeter to start the defensive possession imho. But that should not be the long term answer, obviously.
Anyways, m general idea is that the Cavs will want to aim towards a combination of what Toronto and GSW (2015-6 ver) were trying to do, but on steroids. Both of these teams had/have defensive weaknesses though. Toronto while very switchable team, lack great shot blocking. GSW could cover for a lot of Curry's deficiencies with Klay, Green, Igoudala, etc and could block shots as well as switch when needed. But Bogut was still a weakness when he was targeted on the perimeter and Curry was still a target in the post and on the perimeter against good players. They were great at incorporating a double switching (guard that was switched towards the big man roller immediately switched back with the big not involved in the play from the opposite corner). Later with Durant they changed their philosophy into hedge heavy, double team heavy PnR defense with constant defensive rotations and Durant hanging around as a rim protector. They adopted to their personnel which was incredible and impressive.
I'm rambling, but the first move should be separating Sexton and Garland. Trying to incorporate Windler once healthy to more lineups that feature the starting unit.
Just fucking try to figure out how to find that two way wing and sorry, according to this philosophy Markannen is not the long term fit at any spot as a starter. You want to be bulletproof defensively at the 3-5. And one switchable player at the 1-2.
Anyways, it's just an idea as in reality finding two way players and not just specialists is an awfully difficult task, but Cavs have done the harder part, finding the player, now they need to figure out the identity they want to take on, and I don't believe they should just find players for the sake of just being better. Mobley gives you a very good idea of where you should go and what you should be doing. Even before he is molded. GSW built a team to hide Curry's defensive deficiencies and maximize his offensive prowess, and the Cavs should do the same.
It's easy to build around a guy like Mobley..in theory it makes you avert to overpaying players because you know what you want to be looking for. Like compard to a guy like Jalen Green even if he becomes a great player will always have deficiencies and at the end of the day is still purely a scoring guard with below average defense. With those guys things are less clear and defined, which may result in some weird roster construction just for the sake of being better. With Mobley teams can take their time and keep the checks blank for the time the proper fellas come along.
We should fire up the draft thread.
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Derek
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This is what I’ve been saying since the first preseason game.
We have our guy. The clock is ticking. We’re going to need to get the right people around him ASAP because he’s going to be a superstar, and we can afford to waste a single moment of that window.
Every single player and person in the organization is on notice. You need to prove you can be a part of this NOW or it’s time for us to move on.