Darius Kinnard Garland

[Muffinalt]

Ok it was hyperbole, but still it's kind of crazy to see the improvement. So happy for DG. I was embarrassingly wrong on him. But a great kid and great player.

 

[sailfish]

Ok it was hyperbole, but still it's kind of crazy to see the improvement. So happy for DG. I was embarrassingly wrong on him. But a great kid and great player.

Garland took a monumental jump from the 2020-21 to 2021-22 seasons. I really think being picked for the USA Select team gave him a ton of confidence and was a springboard to the season that he had. He's a small guy, so here's hoping that he can stay healthy and also that he doesn't lose the desire to keep improving, with this big contract.

 

[Mr. MacPhisto]

Garland took a monumental jump from the 2020-21 to 2021-22 seasons. I really think being picked for the USA Select team gave him a ton of confidence and was a springboard to the season that he had. He's a small guy, so here's hoping that he can stay healthy and also that he doesn't lose the desire to keep improving, with this big contract.

I also think Sexton's injury is part of this. I don't know if Garland takes the same jump with Sexton there because that "whose team is it?" question may have lingered and not sure Garland would have asserted himself like he did. Maybe he would have and I do think the staff was encouraging him to take the lead before Sexton was out, but I think that just reinforced everything.

 

[bleedwineandgold03]

I also think Sexton's injury is part of this. I don't know if Garland takes the same jump with Sexton there because that "whose team is it?" question may have lingered and not sure Garland would have asserted himself like he did. Maybe he would have and I do think the staff was encouraging him to take the lead before Sexton was out, but I think that just reinforced everything.

I agree but there was also reports Jb was giving the keys to Darius slowly it was bound to happen by mid season anyways

 

[Omar The Horse]

I think Darius was the only current Cav at Kevin’s wedding too. Darius has such a high level of respect around the league. Gotta be a great guy.

 

[Kizzle]

Zion is a lose lose. They have to max him but he’s never gonna earn that contract.

He gives them even 2 all NBA years and he’s earned that contract. I think Garland is way easier pick to not earn his new contract. He hasn’t been Zion hurt but he’s definitely been fragile and ended last year on a bad back after being sidelined for that same back prior.

 

[inliner311]

I think Darius was the only current Cav at Kevin’s wedding too. Darius has such a high level of respect around the league. Gotta be a great guy.

It looks like all the photos released from Kevin Love's wedding was from professional photographers. I don't think we would know who was invited based on the photos. I bet there is a told or untold rule not to take photos at the wedding. You never know who is in the background and could create some controversy with that many celebrities. I bet any photo released is really looked through by multiple agents and PR people to make sure they don't make someone look bad. Everyone is identified in the photo then asked for approval.

 

[Sir'Dom Pointer]

Now the expectations begin. He needs to show he is worth it. One good year was enough to secure the bag in the new NBA... now he is no longer the cute Garland who's exceeding the expectations.. he will need to be a top PG year in and year out to not be scrutinized. Hopefully he crushes it.

I will say, NBA contracts are out of hand.

 

[Benway]

I will say, NBA contracts are out of hand.

The world was a better place when sports revenues stayed in the owners' pockets!

Imagine the nerve! The players even think they've "earned" those entertainment dollars.

 

[Mr. MacPhisto]

I agree but there was also reports Jb was giving the keys to Darius slowly it was bound to happen by mid season anyways

Agree but it accelerated and we may have seen further development last year than we would have had Sexton not gone down. This makes the comfort of a max deal much better than if it had only started happening in January.

 

[Sir'Dom Pointer]

The world was a better place when sports revenues stayed in the owners' pockets!

Imagine the nerve! The players even think they've "earned" those entertainment dollars.

Compared to other major sports, the NBA contracts are ludicrous. In soccer for example, that type of money is reserved to the to top echelon of players. And the player pool is much larger.

It's an issue with the product. Especially when it concerns small market Teams. You think Zion earned his contract?

Anyways, I don't really care as long as the Cavs are able to field a contender given the cap constraints. And Garland which I'm a big fan of will need to become a perennial all star and relatively injury free.

 

[FrontPageNews]

Compared to other major sports, the NBA contracts are ludicrous. In soccer for example, that type of money is reserved to the to echelon of players. And the player pool is much larger.

It's an issue with the product. Especially when it concerns small market Teams. You think Zion earned his contract?

Anyways, I don't really care as long as the Cavs are able to field a contender given the cap constraints. And Garland which I'm a big fan of will need to become a perennial all star and relatively injury free.

If you’re a mediocre left handed pitcher in the mlb you can easily get a 100M contract. We just saw in the nfl a bunch of mid level guys like Christian Kirk and randy Gregory get big time money. This isn’t an exclusive nba thing. Just the way the sports world is going with the big time tv bucks coming in.

 

[southernflyer]

The world was a better place when sports revenues stayed in the owners' pockets!

Imagine the nerve! The players even think they've "earned" those entertainment dollars.

The world was better when we paid our money for a ticket and enjoyed the game for what it is. Entertainment. I watch and root for my teams and want them to win. Maybe years of being a Cleveland fan in me, but I can't get too high from wins and too low from losses anymore.

I really don't care about sides between players and owners. I'm going to pick between a billionaire and a guy making $250m? A bench guy in the NBA getting $10-15m a year who sees 6-10 minutes a game?

I like to remember Sonny from the movie A Bronx Tale telling young Calogero "Mickey Mantle? Is that what you're upset about? Mickey Mantle makes $100,000 a year. How much does your father make? You don't know? Well, see if your father can't pay the rent go ask Mickey Mantle and see what he tells you."

Anyway, I love DG as a player and individual, glad he got his contract and watching the Cavs play as a team. They genuinely seem to care for and play for each other. I hope it continues as they grow.

 

[Alec]

Don’t mess with a man who posts 4 times a year.

 

[Boobie4Three]

I also think Sexton's injury is part of this. I don't know if Garland takes the same jump with Sexton there because that "whose team is it?" question may have lingered and not sure Garland would have asserted himself like he did. Maybe he would have and I do think the staff was encouraging him to take the lead before Sexton was out, but I think that just reinforced everything.

Yes Sexton and Garland would have ideally been playing off each other more fluidly and it would have been difficult to tell who's "team" it was, if Sexton stayed on the court. I don't think Garland would have overpowered Sexton as he's comfortable being the pass first guy, although Sexton seemed OK with backing off some to fit in.

Garland certainly took a leap but only increased his PPG by 4 pts and asaists by 2.5 on 2 more minutes per game, though he did play 25/11 ball in March on lower efficiency and on 39mpg. I think his progression was on par, but not wildly above the expectations, especially since he was thrust into major duties later in the year. He definitely grew into the role and earned his pay. I'm not GM so I don't care really, gotta pay the guy or someone else will take him and Dan has boatloads of money. He just needs to keep healthy and then we'll be OK. Crazy to pay $40Mil for a small, unathletic guard but the guy's shooting stroke and handle are pure with strong leadership and passing room to grow!