Cleveland Cavaliers: These Aren't The Same Old Cavs

If the Cleveland Cavaliers wanted to prove to the NBA they are indeed the real deal, and last season’s breakthrough was not a one-time tease for the fanbase, trading for Donovan Mitchell was a Neil Armstrong step in the right direction. The franchise has been viewed as stagnant and lifeless without LeBron James, running the show. In 2022 they can prove these aren’t the same old Cavaliers that will settle for mediocrity.

With Mitchell, the Cavs have an identity and, hard as this is to say, respect among NBA analysts and fans outside of the city. The Cavs now have a purpose. The excitement is back, not on the same level as LeBron’s return, but that same electricity is alive at Tower City, Euclid Beach, and the entire Northern Ohio region. The Cavs now actually have odds at an NBA Championship. A year ago, not even Floyd Mayweather would have placed that bet.

After the Cavaliers won their first NBA title in 2016, the lack of disrespect the team and city continued to get in the NBA was astounding. It all boiled down to LeBron. He wasn’t there, nobody cared, and hardly the fans in the city limits gave a crap. A Davey O’Brien Trophy stays with your team forever. Sadly, the respect of the league and its fans do not. Cleveland is still more widely seen as the loveable losers they were of the Pre and post-LeBron era than they were as actual NBA Champions (loveable winners)and Eastern Conference Champions with LeBron.

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Times are changing in the NBA. Cleveland wasn’t going to pull a Sam Presti and acquire 40 1st round picks over 7 years, they did not intentionally tank like the process taught us to, instead, General Manager, Koby Altman, built the team through trades, free agency, and the draft. The once hapless and hopeless Cavs are now a Vegas darling to win the title. These aspirations are obviously way out there given the team’s failure to make the postseason last year, however, and this goes without saying, the Cleveland Cavaliers of the 21-22 season far exceeded anyone’s expectations.

The mix of young, hungry newbies looking to make the jump to stardom (Darius Garland), a young duo in the frontcourt meant to strike fear at anyone who dares step foot in the paint (Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen), a solid cast of role players (Cedi Osman, Lauri Markannen), and veteran leadership from two former Minnesota mates (Ricky Rubio, Kevin Love), all of these players set the standard for the Cleveland renaissance last season.

Along the way, the Cavs acquired Caris LeVert, who will play a prominent role off the bench for the team this year, and, while missing half the season due to injury, Ricky Rubio, who many view as the missing piece to the team culture change, will return this season. The only subtraction is indeed, Markannen, who comes at the expense of adding Mitchell (not a bad trade-off).

You’re probably yelling right now, “What about Colin Sexton?!”

Yeah, he’s gone from the Cleveland Cavaliers. The dynamic scorer, who really was the first true star of the second Post-LeBron era, was also dealt to Utah for Mitchell. To be honest, and sit down for these Cavs fans, not much was lost. No disrespect to Sexton, he was on his own path. He seemingly had issues with teammates and head coaches, wasn’t exactly wanting to play without the ball, and, while injuries were a cause of this, didn’t do anything on the court to justify his worth to the team last season. Not to mention Sexton was seeking a big extension, which Utah will oblige to.

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Sexton is indeed worth the money. He’s just not worth the money for Cleveland.
In some respects, he’s a very hungry competitor and driven scorer like Mitchell. The key to this deal; Mitchell has been a team player. His only grievance came from Rudy Gobert spreading Covid to the entire NBA. (tongue in cheek comment as the NBA would have gotten it, but making a mockery of it puts a bullseye on your head) Mitchell is already a star in this league with his own apparel and shoe deal with Adidas.

In addition, the Cavs dealt Markannen. A bad contract didn’t give the Cavs a lot of flexibility. Signing guys such as Mobley to deals in the future (even with Mitchell on the roster) Markannen, while used well in J.B. Bickerstaff’s 3-big man system, wasn’t an exact fit for the roster.

Markannen and Sexton are now players of Cavaliers past. The real focus is on Mitchell, Garland, Mobley, and Allen, as those are the core pieces to this roster. Now, add in LeVert, Love, and Rubio. The trio might not necessarily be long-term options, but will help the core four grow together. Even LeVert, who with Mitchell and Garland together, can be seen as expendable this season for trade. Especially if Rubio comes back strong and Osman/Love regain their form from last year. That means the Cavs have even more flexibility to add to the roster. There’d also be opportunities to keep the core intact.

The goal for the Cleveland Cavaliers is to build around the 4 stars. Doing so gives them the best chance they’ve had at an NBA dynasty since LeBron. The Cavs have never achieved this accomplishment without the Akron native. This is the ultimate test for Cleveland. The time is now to strike the NBA like a bolt of lightning and take over the league for the next 5-10 years. It’s crazy to think of the Cavs in this way, especially without LeBron, however, things change. The future projection of the Cavaliers certainly has.

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