Donovan Mitchell will be an All-NBA player this season in Cleveland!
On today’s episode of Locked On Cavs, Danny Cunningham (@RealDCunningham) of 92.3 The Fan and Cleveland Magazine is joined by Spencer Davies of Cleveland Cavaliers on SI to talk about what a successful season for Donovan Mitchell looks like as he enters his third season with the Cavs.
Follow & Subscribe on all Podcast platforms…
🎧 https://link.chtbl.com/LOCavs?sid=YouTube
Locked On NBA League-Wide: Every Team, Fantasy, Draft, WNBA & More
🎧 https://linktr.ee/LockedOnNBA
Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!
BetterHelp
This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Make your brain your friend, with BetterHelp. Visit BetterHelp.com/LOCKEDONNBA today to get 10% off your first month.
eBay Motors
From brakes to exhaust kits and beyond, eBay Motors has over 122 million parts to keep your ride-or-die alive. With all the parts you need at the prices you want, it’s easy to bring home that big win. Keep your ride-or-die alive at EbayMotors.com. Eligible items only. Exclusions apply. eBay Guaranteed Fit only available to US customers.
Gametime
Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDON for $20 off your first purchase. Terms apply.
FanDuel
FanDuel, America’s Number One Sportsbook. As playoffs wind down, the sports stop sporting like we want them to. But this summer, FanDuel is hooking up ALL CUSTOMERS with a boost or a bonus, DAILY! That’s right, there’s something for everyone, every day, all summer long! Visit FANDUEL.COM and add a big win to your summer bucket list!
FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN)
It's the Lockdown Podcast Network, your team every day. If you are looking to refinance or get a loan right now, let me tell you about Intercap Lending. Intercap Lending is one of the largest independent lenders in the country. They are hyper responsive. They embrace change and their borrower experience is absolutely fabulous. At Lockdown, we have our own personal loan officer, Intercap Lending. His name is Steve Carter. And if you call him and tell him you're locked on, you get the corporate discount. But more than that, what's so great about Steve Carter is the reviews at Lockdown that we continually get about Steve. Mike Curtis emailed me to say, "I just wanted to thank you for your network. We just refied with Steve Carter. It was so incredibly easy. I can attest to it. I got my loan done with Steve Carter. Who else?" Richard Gordon emailed me and said, "Thank you so much for promoting Intercap Lending. We used them earlier this year. Steve was amazing and Steve is amazing. Call him at 385-885-28, 385-885-28, tell him to lock down and send you. Intercap Lending, NMLS, number 19-0-465. For more information, visit intercaplending.com. On today's show, what constitutes a successful year three for Donovan Mitchell in Cleveland, I think post-season success is tied to it. I talk about it with Spencer Davies on today's Lockdown Caves. You are Lopped on Caves, your daily Cleveland Cavaliers podcast, part of the Lopped on Podcast Network, your team every day. What's up, everybody? I'm Danny Cunningham. You might know me from my time covering the Cleveland Cavaliers, places like 92-3 The Fan, Cleveland Magazine, and a number of other stops along the way. Thank you again for making Lockdown Caves your first listen every day. You can check out the show anywhere you get your podcast, Apple Spotify, anywhere else. Drop us a five-star rating, leave a nice review as well. Also, check us out on YouTube, just search "Locked on Caves." If you're watching this video right now, click that thumbs up button for me. Hit subscribe and click the notification bell as well, so you get the latest Lockdown Caves podcast content as soon as it is up and available, a proud part of the Lockdown Podcast Network. Your team every day, today's show, is brought to you by GameTime. Download the GameTime app, create an account and use code "Locked on NBA" that's L-O-C-K-E-D-O-N NBA for $20 off your first purchase. Terms do apply on today's show. We're talking Donovan Mitchell to your three in Cleveland for him, and I brought Spencer Davies of Cavs Insiders in a number of other places to talk. Donovan Mitchell, so Spencer, I just want to start here because I think with the level of stardom Donovan Mitchell has reached, that now we should be talking about postseason success as his barometer for whether or not it was a successful season or not. Is that a crazy thing to think? I don't think it's crazy. I think that we have to give him some grace here at the beginning of the regular season with a new coach, I think just for the rest of the team, same thing as they try to implement some new things offensively in the half-court and trying some different concepts and what-not. But you're not wrong as far as, "Okay, Donovan, this is your three." We saw what you were capable of last year, right? So in that Magic series and in the Boston series, particularly the Boston series before you got hurt, he was just outstanding. And that, I think, is the expectation now. And that's kind of what happens, especially after you rebound from your first playoff series with Cleveland, you know what happened in the New York series in 2023. You look at what happened last post-season, last April, and the way that he bounced back from that. And in a number of ways that a lot of players bounced back from that, they just couldn't put it together team-wise and then it ran into the eventual NBA champions. I think step-by-step, that's a good sign. But yes, the barometer has to be, you've got to take the next step after that, okay? You got out of the first round this year, you played a team tough with one hand behind your back that eventually took the Larry O'Brien home. All right, this is the year that you probably got to at least get to the Eastern Conference Finals. Or if you're in the second round against somebody who's really good, you've got to give it your all and take them six, seven games and look very, very good doing it. So my saying that the barometer for him should be team, post-season success, I actually think is a pretty big compliment that I'm paying to Donovan Mitchell here. And I'm doing this because, you know, when Donovan Mitchell has been healthy on the Cavs, which we know he had some lower body issues last year that cost him time, and I think cost him a spot on an all NBA team. But when he's been healthy, he's been one of the 10 best players in basketball. That's who he's been in a Cavs uniform. You go back to that first year, you know, I think he finished sixth in MVP voting. He was phenomenal. Last year, he was on track to be an all NBA player again for the second time in a row. That's what I expect from him because I just think he's that good. Like, I don't have any questions or any doubts about him as a basketball player anymore. Like, I think he is a superstar. So by me saying that now the post-season success needs to come along with it, it's basically me saying, as long as this guy is healthy, I know he's going to be a star. I know that I can count on Donovan Mitchell to go out night in and night out and be the best player of the Cavs have. Yeah, some things might look different offensively. There might be a bit of an adjustment period with new Cavs head coach Kenny Atkinson, but I expect Donovan Mitchell to be great because all I've seen in the regular season from Donovan Mitchell while wearing wine gold is greatness. Well, what I like that I heard from Kenny Atkinson in his introductory press conference was that everyone can still get better, right? Even the Donovan Mitchells of the world. So what's the next step for Donovan Mitchell in his quote unquote development? It's making his other teammates better. That's the way that the Cavs are going to take the next step is that everyone around Donovan Mitchell develops and gets better and can compliment the talent that he already has. Maybe he doesn't have to be the hero that takes 30 shots a game. He can just kind of watch as the other guys kind of pour in the points and make the assists and get the rebounds, right? Because Donovan was trying to do it all last year when those guys were down. Him and Jared Allen, as we've said so many times when we've talked to each other about this, we're really the engine of the Cavs when they were one of the best teams in the NBA and that stretch when Evan Mobley and Darius Garland were hurt. Now they just try to have to try to make that quartet work together and it starts with Donovan Mitchell uplifting his teammates. It also would help too if Kenny Atkinson can really find the way to develop the other skill sets of a Darius Garland and an Evan Mobley. And again, we already know what Jared Allen's going to bring to the table, but he can still have room to develop too just as far as maybe spacing the floor or maybe trying different places on the floor instead of just staying in one spot with all four on the floor at the same time. But I'm sure that we'll see the combinations split multiple times, you know that Kenny Atkinson's going to go deep into his bench and try some different units and whatnot. But it's going to be interesting to see how Donovan makes his other teammates better and still maintains that level of all star production. And like you said, he just missed out on an all NBA team and a key to this too is staying healthy as you said. And I think that comes with minute regulation and whatnot and maybe not 35 minutes a game but more like 32 or 33 a game during the regular season. And Spencer that is something that I touched on yesterday's lockdown caps where, you know, Kenny Atkinson traditionally I think has played a little bit of a bigger rotation than we're used to seeing over the last couple of years with JB Bickerstaff where JB's ideal rotation was like nine guys. I think Kenny's is 10 maybe if he really likes thruster, it's 11. Now I think it's a really hard thing to do in the NBA to play 11 guys consistently and give them enough minutes to do their jobs. But down with Mitchell played, I think it was like 35.2 minutes per game last year. If that's down to 32 minutes a game, that's three minutes per game, that's off. So you say that he plays 70 games, just let's say he stays mostly healthy, plays 70 games. That's 210 fewer minutes. That's 210 fewer minutes. Like that's a big chunk of minutes that you can cut off while still expecting I think just about the same production, even if maybe his counting stats drop a little bit because he loses out on five or six possessions a night. But I still think that you're getting an all NBA player if he's playing 32 minutes instead of 35 and maybe he's better in those 32 minutes and maybe he's better and healthier at the end of the season if that's the case. And on top of that too, you just think of not even just from a production standpoint, but as we mentioned before, the cows were littered with injuries at the end of the year last year. Karis Lever, Donovan Mitchell, Max Drews towards the end of the season. Everyone forgets that he was, you know, had an injury too that like these are wearing tear type of situations, at least I feel that came from over usage. And if the over usage gets dialed back more, you rely more on the guys that you brought in for depth. We know that this roster is pretty much set with Isaac Okoro signing his new deal, his three year deal that he had last week. And you have the same core and you have the same guys coming off the bench, then you should be able to maintain throughout a season. And hopefully you see less of those kind of wear and tear injuries that we just talked about. Yeah, and I think that obviously of the guys you mentioned, Donovan Mitchell is the most important one to keep away from the wear and tear injuries because if this team is going to get to where they want to go in the postseason, Donovan Mitchell is going to have to be a huge part of that. He's going to have to be the biggest part of that. One of the things that I do want to talk about because we've seen Donovan Mitchell play a certain way in a Cavs uniform and we've seen him play with certain players in a Cavs uniform. I'm talking as far as rotations go, lineups go, pairings with a certain big guy. I want to talk about what Kenney Atkinson should keep the same as it pertains to Donovan Mitchell and what Kenney Atkinson should change this year as far as Donovan Mitchell on the floor for the Cavs. That's straight ahead right here on Lockdown Cavs. Today's show is brought to you by Fandell. I've told you a lot about Fandell lately. Why? Because Fandell is America's number one sports book and NFL fans listen up right now because you can start off the season. I know we're three weeks in here, but you can start off the season with a big return on Fandell. That is Fandell America's number one sports book. What you need to do is when you place your first $5 bet on Fandell, you get $200 in bonus bets guaranteed. So maybe this weekend, you like Cleveland going to Vegas, one and a half point favorites on the road. Not often Cleveland is a road favorite, but they are this weekend out in Vegas. Maybe you think that's a great line. Maybe you think that they're going to bounce back after they're the brutal loss at home to New York this past weekend or maybe you think things are trending down in Cleveland and you think that Vegas is going to be able to take that one home, take Vegas plus the points. I think that could be a pretty good spot to be in. I know Vegas coming off of a bad loss of their own, but we'll see what happens this weekend. But all you have to do about $5 there and you get $200 in bonus bets guaranteed plus. One of the cool things about Fandell is right now, if you get a hunch, not right now, whenever, if you get a hunch in the middle of a game, if you're watching you say, "Oh, you know, I don't like how this is trending. I don't like how this game is going right now. I think something different is going to happen than I thought before the game." You can check out the latest stats, view live play by play so much more and then make live bets inside the Fandell app. It's the place to go, it's where I go on Sundays, it's where you should be going on Sundays too as you are enjoying NFL football because what is a Sunday without Fandell? I don't think it's getting the most out of your day. So like I said, when you place your first $5 bet, you get $200 in bonus bets guaranteed. Just visit fandell.com, that's F-A-N-D-U-L-D-U-E-L.com today. Hi, I'm Jake from Lockdawn. There's a lot to say when buying a new home or car, but really the first words you want to say are, "Like a good neighbor, state farm is there. And trust me, as someone named Jake, that is a fact." That's the phrase that will help you feel good knowing that you have people who could help you find the right coverage for the things you want to protect. Insurance doesn't need to be complicated with a state farm agent. With so many coverage options, it feels good knowing you can find what fits you because your situation is unique. And state farm is there to help you feel supported with the coverage you need for your car, your home, and even boats, motorcycles, RVs, and other things that matter to you. And when you need ways to get help, don't yell or be angry because state farm gives you options there too. In person or on the phone with your local agent or on statefarm.com or their award-winning app, state farm lets you do things your way. So when you need help protecting the things that matter most, remember to say, "Like a good neighbor, state farm is there." Thank you again for making lockdown calves. Your first listen today and every day have a great week so far. Like I said on yesterday's show, if you missed the Max Strus interview, go back, check that out. It should be in your podcast feed or just search "Max Strus, Lockdown Caves" on YouTube and you will be able to find it. Also going to be doing a mailbag episode on Friday. So if you've got questions about the calves, it's going to be my last off-season mailbag. Drop them in the comments below or you can tweet me @realdecunningham. So Spencer, one of the things aside from a very heavy minute's load that we have seen from Donovan Mitchell under JB Bickerstaff in Cleveland the last couple of years. I think we've seen a pairing between him and Jared Allen that has worked very well. But I wonder if that is the thing. Is that what Kenne Atkinson should keep going with and what do you think Kenne Atkinson should change about Donovan Mitchell's game now that he has the chance? I think that you can continue it, but you don't want it to be the main usage that happens if that makes sense. You want everyone in that core four to have chemistry together. They're the guys that you're paying the most money to, they're the guys that you're seeing as your future and has it have invested in as your future that are all supposedly going to be here for the next three, four years. So you have to make sure that all of them have the same chemistry together and that goes for the bigs and the and the smalls as well, like Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell. I feel like they know how to play together. They've just kind of had some very interesting circumstances around why they haven't connected over the last year or so. And that has to do also with Darius Garland being injured, right? So I don't think that's a lot of it has to do with that. Like if you look at their first season together, Spencer, I thought they were terrific. But I think they will. When you bring in all of the issues that Darius Garland had in terms of just missing time and not finding a rhythm last year, I think that is the biggest thing to blame as far as why people even have the ability to question that partnership. No doubt. No doubt. And people have memory of a goldfish. They don't remember two years ago. And then you think about the chemistry between Jared Allen and Evan Mobley. What was one of our favorite plays when that duo was established? The high low, right? The high low, the lobs, the playing, whether it was Jared Allen or Evan Mobley on the block, being able to figure out where their partner was going to be in the dunker spot. Now, you look together, Darius Garland and Jared Allen, I wonder how that went the first time that they got together. Lob City, they were just absolutely perfect for each other because Darius was using pick and rolls and Jared Allen, as we know, is one of the best in that situation. Evan Mobley, a little different. Evan plays more in the dunker spot. He's trying to stretch the floor a little bit more, less back to basket, face up guy. Maybe you figure out ways how Evan Mobley, when he's bringing the ball up because we've heard that that's going to happen a little bit more this coming season and his development is him handling the ball and initiating. He can work around Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell coming off the ball there. That I think is going to be something brand new that we're not used to seeing a little bit more consistently at least, and that has to do with Darius Garland making sure that he's shooting 10 threes a game. We have to make sure that Evan Mobley, when he's finding Donovan Mitchell on cuts or if he's following him on dribble handoffs, that he's shooting right away, which we know that Donovan Mitchell will never be hesitant to do, but that entire core four needs to figure it out together, all individually, really, because that's the, I think that Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley towards the more close to the end of the playoffs for the Cavs last year showed some chemistry together, and that's a good sign that they, when Donovan Mitchell had the ball in his hand, was able to figure out Evan's spots and to figure out good places to put it for him when he's going in the air for a dunk or something like that. I think that got better, but that I think is the only small, big combination that needs work. Otherwise, it's about the entirety of that quartet, figuring out how to play with each other and the different two and two combinations. So I would like to see that small, big combination improve. I'd like to see them get more time together, but ultimately, I do think the Cavs are going to be able to fall back on Donovan Mitchell's time with Jared Allen, because, and I think part of it is Jared Allen is a much better screen setter than Evan Mobley right now at this point in his career, like he's just better at that thing. And Donovan, for the most part, has always played with somebody that's like that because you think back to his time in Utah, playing with Rudy Gobeir, who, you know, at that point was probably the best screen setter in the NBA. So one of the things that I do wonder, and I'm very curious, your thoughts on this, what about running when, so say Evan's playing center in these lineups with Donovan. So you've got Jared Allen and Darius Garland off the floor. What about running a five one inverted pick and roll where you've got Evan Mobley as the ball handler, and that could be a way to free up Donovan Mitchell to go. Guard screens are some of my favorite sets in basketball. I think we saw a lot of that last year with Isaac Okoro, if you recall, being used kind of as a de facto four, even though he was slotted in at the two or the three. I love that the change of the way that basketball is going to where you can do that now. And when we say screens, it doesn't always mean that the guy has got to set this huge pick on a guy that's twice his size. No, you can slip them. You can ghost them. You can figure out different ways to delay and create kind of this, this inversion like Danny is saying, and space on the floor and different kind of ways to find a way to get your teammates open. It doesn't even have to be the guy that's setting the screen. It doesn't even have to be the guy that is making the contact. It's the teammates around them. And I think this also falls back on who's going to be the fifth guy on the floor with these guys as well. Is it going to be Max Strus? Is it going to be Sam Merrill? Is it going to be George Nying? You know, you have different options, Isaac Okoro, as we just mentioned. You have different options if you're Kenny Atkinson to figure out who the best fit on the floor with that core four is. But you just mentioned it before if Evan Mobley and Donovan Mitchell are particularly on the floor together, then yeah, you're probably going to have a little bit more space and you're going to be smaller lineup because that's just how it's designed. So you have a lot of options in that situation. And I think yes, you have to utilize the inverted pick and roll with those two. I don't know how much I'm using using Darius Garland for screens at the end of his injury history. Well, and just like the way he's built, like if you look at if you look at how Darius is built physically compared to how Donovan is built physically, like Donovan is almost built like an NFL free safety, like he is running back for me. He looks like he or running back. Yeah. Right. Like he is somebody that you look at him and say, that guy could play in the NFL. Like he is built like that. Darius Garland, and this is not trying to take away anything from Darius because he's a phenomenal athlete too. But Darius Garland just isn't as he's not quite as thick. He's not quite as muscular. His frame is just a little bit different. I'm, I think that the way Donovan is constructed physically allows you to do some of these things that, you know, I wouldn't feel comfortable seeing Darius Garland do. I don't think they would be as effective. It's not that he can't do it once in a while, but I think if you want to, I'm not saying you would necessarily just be out there spamming five, one pick and rolls, but that's something you really, I don't think can do with Darius Garland, but you can think about it with Donovan Mitchell. Yeah, it's the wrinkle. And the difference between the two with Donovan and Darius, like you were saying, Donovan's upper body strength is insane. His lower body strength too. And it's yeah. I was going to say his lower body strength too, like when you see him coming down the lane and he's literally cradling the ball like it's a football like and he's able to protect and finish and whatnot. Darius, he is definitely gotten into the fight more as the years have gone by, but just from a protecting yourself situation, I would keep him more out on the perimeter or unless you have protection for him in the form of a pick in the form of a way to get him a lane. He definitely took a lot of hits last year and a lot of them didn't get called. That's another part of this too with Darius. He does not get anything called for him at the rim. Hopefully that changes in the near future and because he's trying and he's definitely getting into the scrum. That's why I think he gets this reputation of he wants to avoid contact. No, he doesn't. He just doesn't get the calls. Donovan does get the calls because he's the established superstar and he's the big name and that's kind of just what comes with the territory with him. But as far as the screens go and five ones, yes, I would stick with Donovan Mitchell in there and I too, good core. If you're throwing in a Jalen Tyson because he has a little bit bigger of a build, you can use him to in those. Back screws, I'm sure that we'll see a lot of that with Evan Mobley as we've talked about in the past that we didn't see much of from training camp was the chemistry he had with Bam at a bio on the dribble handoffs and whatnot. We didn't see much of that with Evan Mobley last year. There was a lot more ball dominant with the guards and all that. So we're going to see new wrinkles. We're going to see new schemes and offensive creativity when it comes to Kenyak. It's in this year, I think. I do want to be clear about the Darius Garland setting screen thing. It's not a mentality issue. I don't think it's a him shying away from contact. I just think the way he's physically built, it doesn't make sense to have him doing that. It's not effective. It's not as effective. Right. It's not a oh, Darius is soft. That is not this conversation. It's correct. Darius probably needs to put on about 20 pounds that Donovan Mitchell has already on him to be effective in doing this, and that's what's best for the Cavaliers. So I mentioned at the top of the show, what is best for Donovan Mitchell is postseason success. What exactly should be considered postseason success for the Cavs this year? We talk about that next right here on Lockdown Caves. Hi, I'm Jake from Lockdown. There's a lot to say when buying a new home or car, but really the first words you want to say are like a good neighbor, state farm is there. And trust me, as someone named Jake, that is a fact. That's the phrase that will help you feel good knowing that you have people who could help you find the right coverage for the things you want to protect. Insurance doesn't need to be complicated with a state farm agent with so many coverage options, it feels good knowing you can find what fits you because your situation is unique. And state farm is there to help you feel supported with the coverage you need for your car, your home, and even boats, motorcycles, RVs, and other things that matter to you. And when you need ways to get help, don't yell or be angry because state farm gives you options there too. In person or on the phone with your local agent or on statefarm.com or their award-winning app, state farm lets you do things your way. So when you need help protecting the things that matter most, remember to say like you good neighbors, state farm is there. Today's show is brought to you by game time. Game time is the place that I go when I'm searching for tickets and it should be the place that you go when you are searching for tickets as well. One of my favorite things that game time does, game time has the ability to toggle on and off all in pricing. I love to have all in pricing on because I don't want to be surprised with last minute fees and taxes at the end of my ticket purchasing process. I want to know what I'm paying as I'm looking at the seats. That to me creates the best experience and I can do that with game time. The other thing that game time does that creates the best experience is they will show me exactly what my view of whether it's the field, the floor, home plate. They will show me what my view looks like. I love that part of game time. Some pretty big baseball games in Cleveland coming up. The playoffs will be at progressive field. You're going to want to be there. How are you going to get there? You're going to use game time. What you're going to do, you're going to download the game time app, create an account and use code locked on NBA for $20 off your first purchase, terms do apply, again download the game time app, create an account, code locked on NBA. That's L-O-C-K-E-D-O-N, NBA for $20 off your first purchase, terms do apply. What time is it? It's game time. Thank you again for making locked on Cabs your first listen every day now for your second listen today. Go check out locked on NBA tons of great local and national news analysis entertainment as a media day, I believe as we record this on Tuesday, I believe media day for the Boston Celtics, maybe one other team happening. The off season is officially over in the NBA and locked on NBA is the place to go for you to be covered as far as national news, notes, analysis, all that goes. Make that your second listen today, probably part of the locked on podcast network, your team every day. Spencer, what do you think this year constitutes a successful season for the Cabs and by virtue of that, a successful season for Donovan Mitchell? I don't want to give them an out because they have a new coaching staff. It's the same roster, it's the same team that got to the playoffs two years ago, got to the playoffs last year and almost took the Celtics to the brink with a very hampered roster. Despite a five game series, if you look at the results of those games, that was a much better played series than it looks like on paper. This team needs to get to the Eastern Conference Finals. If that's how you look at success is step by step, then by default, that's what needs to happen. There's no, even if there's injuries and whatnot, you got to figure out a way, you got to figure out a way and the East isn't getting any easier. That's just the reality of the situation. You got to hold them to that expectation. It about what happens in the regular season ups and downs. If they go 47 and 35, who cares? It's about the postseason. It's about April and what they do from then on. That is the barometer I think that needs to be said and needs to be held accountable to for everybody in the building. So the only thing I'll push back on there, like in the regular season one, I do think they should win a lot of games. Like I just think this team is built to be a really good regular season team. I felt this way last year, but obviously the injuries sort of changed things as far as how they performed before the playoffs began. Their record won't matter a ton, but if they're in the play in going into the postseason, that I think is a disaster, but I'm waiting. This is a team that should have goals to be in the conference finals this year. I think that is the next logical step in their trajectory after being a first round exit team in a very disappointing postseason against the next two years ago. Last year, I agree. Like if they have, they, I think the Cavs can look themselves in the mirror and say, you know what? If Donovan Mitchell were healthy, if we had Jared Allen, if Karis LaVirt wasn't heard at the end of the series, do we beat the Boston Celtics? Probably not, but we probably win one more game. That series probably goes to six games. That might have been the toughest series the Boston Celtics had in their entire run to the championship. I think the Cavs can legitimately say that and believe it to be true. But I do think like, listen, the East is awesome right now. The Celtics are not going anywhere. The Knicks are going to be really good. The Sixers, if they're healthy, are going to be terrific. I am not really buying the Milwaukee Bucks, but you can't count them out either. There's a chance the Cavs are going to have to beat two of those teams to get to the conference finals. And I think if you beat one of those teams, provided full health for both sides, then you can start talking about it being a successful season. But I really don't see a path Spencer where you get to the conference finals without having to beat at least one of those four other teams. 100%. And this front office has shown a ton of respect and a ton of belief in what it's assembled. They are literally running back the same team. The very same team, they think it is very much so tactical. What's wrong? You're forgetting JT Thor Spencer. I can't believe you. JT Thor on the T and the two away. Yes, absolutely. But seriously, it's the same team. And I applaud them. I applaud them for backing their guys and staying continuous with this. It's very similar to what Denver did. Very similar Denver did have to go out and add an Aaron Gordon. I'll say that, but they stuck very much so with the core of that team. The Cavs really believe that this is the group that takes them to the title. Is that what's going to happen? I don't know. We have not seen this core for with a different offensive identity than what we're used to seeing the last three, four years. It worked very well with the right combinations and right pieces. It's a consistency thing and it's a health thing. Do I think that they can do it? I think they're capable of getting to the finals. I think they're very talented. I think they're really talented. I mean, you need a little bit of luck, but every team that's gotten to the finals ever has... Okay, not every team that's gotten to the finals ever has gotten a little bit of luck, but a lot of them have. Yeah, exactly. I mean, you just look at the roster. Donovan Mitchell is an MVP candidate every year. Right. Brandon is a one-time All-Star who's been fallen about bad luck last year and even the year before that, and if you want to look at getting hit in the face, Jared Allen is absolutely capable of being a multi-time All-Star. And then, Evan Mobley, you look at him and he hasn't even scratched the surface of his potential yet offensively. There's a lot of factors here, and you look at the guys surrounding them, if they're just knocking down their shots and putting better positions to knock down their shots. Jack Strews, George Nying, these guys, they light it up from deep usually. Last year, that wasn't the case consistently again. Maybe different concepts are going to allow them to be more successful defensively. I'm not worried about this team. Even if they dip, even if they dip to the, you know, the second half of the early, below the top 10, whatever it may be, if they dip a little bit, who cares? It's an offensive league at this point. You know, you can lean back on those concepts in the playoffs when you need to be a defensive team and get big stops. This is about offense. This is about making it work together again with that quartet, that core four, and the surrounding pieces around them. Yeah. And I think the defense might take a little bit of a dip this year, but I don't think that matters. Like they're still, they still have the bones of a top 10 defense. I still think they'll be top 10. I just don't think that we're going to be talking about them as the best defense and best, well, partially because I think they're going to play faster and that's going to lead to some higher scoring games and they're just not going to be as good on that end, but they'll be better offensively. And if they're going to get to where they should want to get to, which you and I both agree is the conference finals, they're going to need a lot of down of the Mitchell and they're going to need a lot of offense Spencer, where can everyone find your work? Yep. No problem. I am @Spendavies on both Twitter and Instagram. You can look at my work on chazinsider.com. We are Cleveland Cavaliers on SI now, so that will be SI.com/NBA/Cavaliers. We will be doing a lot of stuff on video just like this, so definitely check that out. I'm sure we're going to have a lot to come multimedia wise to this season. I'm very excited about. And then I have some other NBA features for you over at RG.org, and that is a responsible gambler where I just released one on Michael Bridges, just in an interview with him of the Knicks and talking about his fit in the Big Apple with all of his buddies from Villanova. So those are my latest works, and I'd appreciate if you looked them. There he is, Spencer Davies. Thanks to Spencer for joining me today on this episode of Lock on Chaz. And thanks to you for making Lock on Chaz. Your first listen every day will be back tomorrow. Again, a mailbag episode on Friday. Get your questions in in the comments or tweet them @realdecunningham. We've got availability coming up later this week, media day on Monday. The basketball season is here and I cannot wait. I will be back tomorrow with another edition of Lock on Chaz.
