Koby Altman nailed, then failed to take breathalyzer…

[mAo_mAo]

I really like the thought of Levert on the team.

His playmaking will really help preserve DG’s workload and health.

It seems his body is not used to the amount of load with the way his back is flaring up.

 

[avs2000]

We’re 3rd in the East and 1.5 games out of 1st place. Call me crazy, but aren’t we contending now? I thought this team was a year away from a legit Finals run, but I might’ve been wrong.

a year away from a finals contender. I thought they were a year away from a playoff berth ! lol This season is amazing

 

[Douglar]

Cavaliers are a team to be feared across NBA

The Cavaliers continue to exceed all expectations and have turned into a real threat in the Eastern Conference.

theathletic.com

The Cavs did it. They certainly made mistakes along the way, but they got back here faster than I ever thought possible. Four years after LeBron left (again), the Cavs are contenders (again) in the Eastern Conference.​

​

They play hard and they play for one another. There is no silly Kyrie Irving/Dion Waiters battle to be the alpha dog. The Cavaliers are young enough that they don’t know what they don’t know and yet are still good enough to outwork and outplay the league’s elite.​

​

Bickerstaff is right. They certainly have nothing to fear.​

​

They are the danger.​

 

[Alabuckeye]

The reason I asked “can he build a contender” is because we’ve seen the difference.

reggie Miller played on a ton of really good Pacers teams that did nothing in the playoffs.

mike Fratello built teams that won 50 regular season games then flamed out in may and June.

the game is played differently in a 7 game series than in the 82 game marathon.

 

[Douglar]

The reason I asked “can he build a contender” is because we’ve seen the difference.

reggie Miller played on a ton of really good Pacers teams that did nothing in the playoffs.

mike Fratello built teams that won 50 regular season games then flamed out in may and June.

the game is played differently in a 7 game series than in the 82 game marathon.

Fratello was good an maximizing the talent he had and slowing down the tempo to squeese out regular season wins, but he never won more that 47 games in a season with the Cavs. Maybe you are thinking Lenny Wilkens who did it twice?

Cavs, like any NBA team, will some super star performances to go deep in the playoffs and good health.

Allen disappears sometimes, so I'm worried that his play might not carry over into the post season, but I'm hopeful that Garland and Mobley will provide a good enough 1-2 punch to carry the team past some soft Allen quaters.

As for player health? We don't talk about health.

p.s. Reggie's team lost to Shaq/Kobe in the finals 4-2. OK, no championship, but they didn't get wiped out either. They made a little noise against one of the alltime great teams.

 

[PIP]

The reason I asked “can he build a contender” is because we’ve seen the difference.

reggie Miller played on a ton of really good Pacers teams that did nothing in the playoffs.

mike Fratello built teams that won 50 regular season games then flamed out in may and June.

the game is played differently in a 7 game series than in the 82 game marathon.

It’s just not a good question right now because we don’t know what this team can be in the playoffs, or what a fully healthy version of this team can look like cause we haven’t seen it yet.

I mean they’re building their team a different way, going against the grain for sure and taking advantage of their mismatches…

If this team continues to get consistent contributions from players like Wade & Stevens on both ends of the floor, you’re looking at one of the deeper teams in the league..

I think the building into a contender is perhaps complete and the next step is for the growth from within to come into play…. The big 3 getting better at a quicker rate, Okoro, Stevens, Wade, Lauri, Cedi becoming more consistent— Love contributing— Sexton (if still here) being asked to alter his role whether he likes it or not….

Personally everyone keeps saying get a guard (which I understand ) but I would not be opposed to the Cavs finding another backup big man that the guards can get some chemistry with…Having depth up front would really be huge for this team..

Nonetheless I think the rebuilding is pretty close to being complete — getting a backup PG, another quality big man is about all this team would need going forward…. But we have to see how they perform in the playoffs and of course the guys on the roster have to come back better next season and remain healthy for the most part…

 

[The Human Q-Tip]

Cavaliers are a team to be feared across NBA

The Cavaliers continue to exceed all expectations and have turned into a real threat in the Eastern Conference.

theathletic.com

The Cavs did it. They certainly made mistakes along the way, but they got back here faster than I ever thought possible. Four years after LeBron left (again), the Cavs are contenders (again) in the Eastern Conference.​

​

They play hard and they play for one another. There is no silly Kyrie Irving/Dion Waiters battle to be the alpha dog. The Cavaliers are young enough that they don’t know what they don’t know and yet are still good enough to outwork and outplay the league’s elite.​

​

Bickerstaff is right. They certainly have nothing to fear.​

​

They are the danger.​

Couldn't resist, could he? Curious as to whether he actually mentioned Koby by name in that, or just talked about the team and not the GM who assembled it.

 

[weepinwillow]

reggie Miller played on a ton of really good Pacers teams that did nothing in the playoffs.

HUH?? Reggie went to the ECF 9 times as the best player on his team. A perennial Conf Finals team is the definition of an NBA contender.

As for the "question" if Koby Altman can build a contender? So far the answer is: seems so, but we don't have the final returns.

He built a contender around LeBron (I give him a ton of credit for re-shaping that 2018 roster, sure not enough to beat a KD/Steph Warriors, but that was a great mid-stream adjustment).

He seems to have a potential contender now.

Couldn't resist, could he? Curious as to whether he actually mentioned Koby by name in that, or just talked about the team and not the GM who assembled it.

"Koby Altman has to be the favorite for executive of the year, an award no Cavs general manager has won since Wayne Embry in 1998. Bickerstaff will receive heavy consideration alongside Memphis’ Taylor Jenkins for coach of the year, and Mobley is the runaway favorite at this point for rookie of the year."

 

[Wham with the Right Hand]

It’s just not a good question right now because we don’t know what this team can be in the playoffs, or what a fully healthy version of this team can look like cause we haven’t seen it yet.

I mean they’re building their team a different way, going against the grain for sure and taking advantage of their mismatches…

If this team continues to get consistent contributions from players like Wade & Stevens on both ends of the floor, you’re looking at one of the deeper teams in the league..

They are definitely going against the grain, which is to get a Big Three and fill in with role players. The Nets with Durant, Harden, and Kyrie, for example, or the Bulls with DeRo, LaVine, and Vucevic. The Lakers with LeBron, AD, and Westbrook. The Bucks with Giannis, Middleton, and Holiday.

The Cavs are going with balance and depth, just like their 90's teams. Last night their bench outscored the Bucks' bench 57-15. The Cavs don't have a LeBron, Durant, or Giannis, but they are DEEP.

That's great for the regular season but in the playoffs it's usually the stars that take over, especially since there are no back-to-back games and no reason not to have your Big Three play 40 minutes a night. Jordon and Pippen always beat the balanced Cavs of Price, Daugherty, and Nance.

The teams built on superstars are more vulnerable because if a key player gets hurt he can't be replaced. Look at the Bucks - 18-4 when their Big Three plays and 12-16 when one or more of them is out. With Durant out and Kyrie playing only half the games the Nets have lost 6 of 10.

If the Cavs lose a starter, like Markkanen, they have guys like Love and Cedi who can make it up.

I'm enjoying watching this team tremendously, but I'm under no illusion that they can take down the Nets, Bulls, or Bucks in a seven-game series unless those teams have an injury to a key player. The Heat seem to be a balanced team like the Cavs.

 

[Douglar]

Couldn't resist, could he? Curious as to whether he actually mentioned Koby by name in that, or just talked about the team and not the GM who assembled it.

He says:

Koby Altman has to be the favorite for executive of the year, an award no Cavs general manager has won since Wayne Embry in 1998. Bickerstaff will receive heavy consideration alongside Memphis’ Taylor Jenkins for coach of the year, and Mobley is the runaway favorite at this point for rookie of the year.​

 

[The Human Q-Tip]

They are definitely going against the grain, which is to get a Big Three and fill in with role players. The Nets with Durant, Harden, and Kyrie, for example, or the Bulls with DeRo, LaVine, and Vucevic. The Lakers with LeBron, AD, and Westbrook. The Bucks with Giannis, Middleton, and Holiday.

The Cavs are going with balance and depth, just like their 90's teams. Last night their bench outscored the Bucks' bench 57-15. The Cavs don't have a LeBron, Durant, or Giannis, but they are DEEP.

That's great for the regular season but in the playoffs it's usually the stars that take over, especially since there are no back-to-back games and no reason not to have your Big Three play 40 minutes a night. Jordon and Pippen always beat the balanced Cavs of Price, Daugherty, and Nance.

The teams built on superstars are more vulnerable because if a key player gets hurt he can't be replaced. Look at the Bucks - 18-4 when their Big Three plays and 12-16 when one or more of them is out. With Durant out and Kyrie playing only half the games the Nets have lost 6 of 10.

If the Cavs lose a starter, like Markkanen, they have guys like Love and Cedi who can make it up.

I'm enjoying watching this team tremendously, but I'm under no illusion that they can take down the Nets, Bulls, or Bucks in a seven-game series unless those teams have an injury to a key player. The Heat seem to be a balanced team like the Cavs.

I dunno. I think the Nets are just fragile, and it is more likely than not that their big 3 won't play in a majority of playoff games. Not sure the Bulls have a true superstar period. Three very good players, but not superstars. Giannis is always going to be a tough out, though we may be better positioned than most to beat them because of our two big guys.

 

[PIP]

I dunno. I think the Nets are just fragile, and it is more likely than not that their big 3 won't play in a majority of playoff games. Not sure the Bulls have a true superstar period. Three very good players, but not superstars. Giannis is always going to be a tough out, though we may be better positioned than most to beat them because of our two big guys.

Well I’m not going to go out on a limb and say the Cavs are going to be contenders with those other teams… I think they all pose major issues for the Cavs, least of which is experience…

I do think Brook Lopez makes a major difference for the Bucks because not only is he size inside for them, but you simply can’t defend Milwaukee (Giannis) the same way you did last night cause Lopez will just chill out in the corner and kill you from the perimeter…So he will pull a big away from the paint…

Chicago is easily the toughest matchup I think just because they have size on the perimeter, and they have a skilled big man that will give the Cavs fits… This is the only matchup where I don’t think the Cavs size is an issue for a contending team and they have a take over guy in DeRozan….Not to mention both Lavine & Ball are playmakers with size…To me Chicago is just a terrible matchup for the Cavs…Might not be for other teams, but their big man can neutralize our size and take away that advantage to a degree…

Brooklyn has all the talent front loaded (and I like Patty too)— I just don’t know about that team from a mental standpoint.. They’re fragile mentally, there’s always drama surrounding them— they have the talent of a title contender but I can see them imploding from their own doing…

 

[Cavatt]

Kudos to Jason Lloyd for writing something nice about the Cavs. Took 50 games. He has been brutal the past couple of years

 

[Alabuckeye]

HUH?? Reggie went to the ECF 9 times as the best player on his team. A perennial Conf Finals team is the definition of an NBA contender.

As for the "question" if Koby Altman can build a contender? So far the answer is: seems so, but we don't have the final returns.

He built a contender around LeBron (I give him a ton of credit for re-shaping that 2018 roster, sure not enough to beat a KD/Steph Warriors, but that was a great mid-stream adjustment).

He seems to have a potential contender now.

"Koby Altman has to be the favorite for executive of the year, an award no Cavs general manager has won since Wayne Embry in 1998. Bickerstaff will receive heavy consideration alongside Memphis’ Taylor Jenkins for coach of the year, and Mobley is the runaway favorite at this point for rookie of the year."

Would you be happy if this team played to Reggie’s teams limit? Or do you want more than that? That was my point.

 

[Peacedog]

They are definitely going against the grain, which is to get a Big Three and fill in with role players. The Nets with Durant, Harden, and Kyrie, for example, or the Bulls with DeRo, LaVine, and Vucevic. The Lakers with LeBron, AD, and Westbrook. The Bucks with Giannis, Middleton, and Holiday.

The Cavs are going with balance and depth, just like their 90's teams. Last night their bench outscored the Bucks' bench 57-15. The Cavs don't have a LeBron, Durant, or Giannis, but they are DEEP.

That's great for the regular season but in the playoffs it's usually the stars that take over, especially since there are no back-to-back games and no reason not to have your Big Three play 40 minutes a night. Jordon and Pippen always beat the balanced Cavs of Price, Daugherty, and Nance.

The teams built on superstars are more vulnerable because if a key player gets hurt he can't be replaced. Look at the Bucks - 18-4 when their Big Three plays and 12-16 when one or more of them is out. With Durant out and Kyrie playing only half the games the Nets have lost 6 of 10.

If the Cavs lose a starter, like Markkanen, they have guys like Love and Cedi who can make it up.

I'm enjoying watching this team tremendously, but I'm under no illusion that they can take down the Nets, Bulls, or Bucks in a seven-game series unless those teams have an injury to a key player. The Heat seem to be a balanced team like the Cavs.

The Cavs have a Big 3. But they were assembled organically and all of them are too young at this point to be labeled as "superstars." But let's check back on that one in 2-3 years.