Kenny Atkinson has a BIG Decision to Make for the Cleveland Cavaliers! | Best Path Forward?

Kenny Atkinson has a BIG Decision to Make for the Cleveland Cavaliers! | Best Path Forward?

On today’s show, the Cavs are probably going to have to hire at least one new assistant coach to Kenny Atinson staff. We’re going to talk about what that might mean. And Chris Manning’s back. We’re going to talk to him for today’s edition of Locked on Cavs. You are Locked on Cavs, your daily Cleveland Cavaliers podcast, part of the Locked On Network, your team every day. What’s up everybody? My name is Danny Cunningham. You might know me from my time covering the Cleveland Cavaliers, places like my Substack, The Inside Shot, Cleveland Magazine, 923 The Fan, and a number of other stops along the way. Joined today by Chris Manning of the Just Basketball Podcast, formerly Locked on Cavs, formerly Feared the Sword. What’s up, man? How are you, Danny? It’s It’s good to be with you. Uh, very happy to talk about the Cavs with you. Very happy to to break down some things that I I have a take that I we talked about over text. I’m curious to see how you with the inside scoop, the inside shot, shall we say? Shout out your substack. Thank you. Uh yeah, you’re free plugs. Uh if you’ll tell me I’m crazy or not, but I I have I’ve been think I’ve been chewing on some stuff. So, we’ll see. Well, we’re going to get to that, but first, thank you for making Locked on Cavs your first listen today and every day you can find us. Anywhere you get your podcast, Apple, Spotify, anywhere else, drop us a fivestar rating. Leave us a nice review. Be a friend. Tell a friend about Locked on Cavs. Make sure you’re subscribed. Make sure a friend’s subscribed, too. And if you’re watching on YouTube as we get started here, do me do us a favor. Hit that thumbs up button for us. Click subscribe. Hit that notification bell so you don’t miss the latest from us. So, I open by saying the Cavs are going to have to hire a new assistant coach. And we don’t know who’s going to leave, but it was reported by ESPN on Monday that there are two finalists for the Phoenix Suns head coaching opening. Those two finalists, Johnny Bryant and Jordan A. You might know those names because both of those guys are current assistants to Kenny Atinson on the Cavs staff. So that would tell you one of them’s getting hired by the Suns. The Cavs are going to have to hire somebody to fill out the staff. We of course at this time as we record this Monday evening. Don’t know who the Suns are going to hire. Just know that they’re going to likely hire one of those two guys. Those two will both be meeting with owner Matt Ishbia at some point this week in the state of Michigan where he’s from. And then a decision will come after that. But Chris, you texted me about Johnny Bryant as the one obviously one of the finalists, but you texted me as like that would be a big loss. Why do you think that? So, if even dating back to when I was covering the league like intently, he was someone that you would talk to people in the league about that they raved about that they thought he was very highly thought of. It was, I think, a coup to get him from the Knicks, not just because he’s a good coach, but also because of his relationship with Donovan Mitchell. This is someone that I’ve seen on the in when he’s talked about him. Donovan Mitchell has called him a brother. You can see that them them interacting a lot during games. That is just brain drain on what I think is a good staff right now. A staff that I think in the with Kenny Atinson, one of the maybe the underrated parts of last offseason was not just bringing in Kenny, but retooling the staff and bringing in some fresh voices that I think they needed. Johnny Brent as your associate head coach. I think with you probably always had to assume that if your team was good, considering he was already interviewing four jobs, he was you were probably going to lose him at some point. But I think considering his his his relationship with Mitchell, how good of a job I think he is, and from how I kind of perceive him from the outside, and again, you can tell me if I’m overestimating this. I think that’s just a big loss. I think that is someone that you have to find a way to replace that voice, replace that that person, and that that can be hard to do. I think hiring assistant coaches from the outside, we don’t really know. I think when you actually break down the job and you think about it, those things can be hit or miss and it’s going to be hard to find someone even I think as close to as good as him if he ends up leaving. Right. I will say if he does end up leaving and listen, they’re going to and I think both of these guys are really good coaches. Um I have heard more about I’ve heard Jordan A’s name pop up for this opening more than I’ve heard Johnny Bryant’s name pop up for this opening. This doesn’t mean that A’s going to get the job. It doesn’t mean he’s not going to get the job. I don’t know. If I had to guess as of right now, I’d say a gets it. I mean, Michigan I mean, it’s the Michigan the the Suns fans on Reddit have been like Michigan State connection. It’s it’s that whole thing with with Ishb. Obviously, I I have gotten texts from friends of mine that are Suns fans that see this stuff and their instant reactions like, “Oh my goodness, he like he’s an MSU guy. Of course, at least I mean, at least it’s not Tom Mizo, you know, like right like it could be worse.” But Jordan is a really good coach. Like that is something because then they will ask me, “Well, what do you think of him?” I’m like, “Well, I actually think he played a really big part in the Cavs offensive success with what he was doing. I think he’s a really bright mind. I do think he’s going to make a good coach. I don’t know if it’s going to be this opening or the next opening, but having to replace one of those guys, I do think will be an important hire for Kenny Atinson to make whenever he does have to make it. And of course, hiring an assistant coach, you’re not on the it’s not some time crunch. But what you had to say about Bryant leaving, I do think makes sense. Um, his relationship with Donovan Mitchell is probably the most talked about thing as far as assistant coaches in Cleveland goes. And that’s not like it’s the most important thing or it’s always top of mind, but think about how infrequently I guess you talk about assistant coaches, right? Like they don’t come up in basketball. And I think partially that’s because in basketball, assistant coaches are labeled so much differently or I guess they’re labeled more generically than other sports, right? Like you think about football, you something goes bad on offense, you’re going to blame the offensive coordinator, you’re going to blame the defensive coordinator. You’re a baseball fan and your team’s not hitting, you’re going to blame the hitting coach where or the pitching coach if you can’t pitch. But in basketball, it’s just, you know, Johnny Bryant, associate head coach, and then it’s assistant, assistant, assistant, assistant. you kind of don’t exactly know what the responsibilities of all of those other guys are, but I do think Jordan Knot had a lot of say. I think that he was a very important part of this coaching staff. And I also think it’s not nothing that he was somebody that I think helped out Evan Moy a lot too. You you obviously would know this I think more intimately than than I would, but it’s like I think that is someone who seems like his responsibility is on the coaching was like number two behind Kenny. I think the title obviously designate that. But if he’s working, if you losing someone who is working not just with Donovan, but with Evan Mobley and have to then replace someone to do a lot of that work, I don’t think that’s like an optimal thing for a team that will have pressure to level up next year. This was a one-year thing. I’m not saying this is someone you had for five years and they finally got a head coaching job, right? Like I don’t think it’s it’s that. But I would wonder if considering the track record in the Dan Gilbert Dan if they would try to go find like their next associate head coach, someone they’re earmarking as as a potential really high level coach and try to slot him in at that same kind of spot and replicate that. I wonder if that would be part of the thought. I mean, I do my thinking and you know, Johnny has obviously interviewed for head coaching openings before. Um he interviewed for the Cavs head coaching opening that went to Kenny Atinson. Um that is something worth thinking about. Like he’s been there before. Jot has also interviewed for head coaching openings before. He was a finalist for the Charlotte job that went to Charles Lee last off season. So these guys have been in this conversation before. Johnny Bryant gets it. I would just imagine Jordan slides up into that associate head coaching role technically or title. Um, but I don’t know necessarily know how much that matters because I do think Kenny Atinson has been very big on collaboration, whether it’s front office coaching staff collaboration, player coaching staff collaboration, or collaboration within the coaching staff. I think that is kind of something Kenny wants to be a staple of who he is as a head coach. Like he doesn’t want to just be seen as this guy it’s we’re going to do what I want to do and that’s that. I think that there is a lot of collaboration that goes into it. So, I don’t know how much the individual titles like associate head coach versus assistant coach necessarily matters. The one thing that I do think you cannot rep I know you can’t replace that you mentioned is the relationship with Donovan Mitchell that Johnny Bryant has like that is the one thing that he has that is unique to him as an assistant coach that you’re not going to find another assistant coach out there. Um, unless the Cavs were to hire Rick Patino as an assistant, which is not going to happen because why would that ever happen? But outside of that, you’re not going to find somebody to come in and be an assistant that Donovan is going to talk about the way he’s talked about Johnny. And it’s not just talking about Johnny this year. Like you can go back to the first year when Donovan would be asked about certain things that he learned. Like remember the way and I think he does this a little bit less now because his role offensively has changed, but remember how hard he would pivot sometimes and how hard that jab step would be? Like he would credit Johnny with helping him get that down when he was in Utah. Um, when Johnny was on the New York Knicks and the Cavs lost to them, you know, that was a big conversation is Johnny Bryant versus Donovan Mitchell, even though no one ever actually talks about an assistant coach versus a player as far as a matchup goes. And then when Johnny got here, like Donovan obviously was very happy. And he also said he’s not going to be here very long because he’s going to be a head coach soon. But though, that is the one thing that you look at like can you replace what Jordan does? Can you replace a lot of what Johnny Bryant does? Sure. But you can’t replace that relationship with Donovan Mitchell. And that is the one thing worth thinking about here. Let me just ask you this in terms of his brain like the brain drain. Let’s say you lose him and then maybe you lose like another season from the staff like who goes to if Johnny or goes to Phoenix. Where is your concern level on that? like how much are you thinking okay like is that is that’s a significant issue in the structure of the offseason. So I don’t I I think it’s actually a good thing. Um and I kind of wanted to get into that. I think it’s a good thing that the Cavs will have to because they are going to lose somebody. They’re going to lose somebody whether it’s Johnny or Jordan. One of these guys are going to be gone and I think it’s a good thing that that’s actually the case. We’re going to talk about that next right here on Locked on Cavs. Today’s show brought to you by Open Phone. Open Phone is the place you need to go if you are looking to help your business out. You know that every mis call is money left on the table. Think about the last time that you had an urgent need like personally, maybe a plumber, service provider, something like that. The first person you called didn’t answer. Did you wait or did you just move on? You probably moved on. You didn’t wait. 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Make sure you drop us a fivestar rating. Leave us a nice review. And Chris, this is why I think it’s a good thing that the Cavs will have to replace an assistant. At least one, possibly more. Like as you mentioned, if Johnny Bryant gets a job, not gets a job, it’s not out of the realm of possibility that they take somebody from the staff along with them, if not multiple people. But I think Kenny Atkinson did such a good job filling out his first staff. Um, and I think that was a big difference too that doesn’t necessarily get talked about between what the program looked like under JB Bicker Staff versus what it looks like now. Like do you remember and you were around for more of the Bicker Staff era than I was at least on a day-to-day basis. Yeah. But how frequently did assistants get head coaching interviews elsewhere that were assistants under JB Bickerstaff? I know Luke Walton was a head coach and that didn’t work out anytime he was a head coach. I was going to say I don’t Luke Walton as like your example of like a a guy who was a previous head coach is is a tough look considering like he obviously went with the Warriors, but it just in retrospect it obviously felt like you plugged him in and then it was the Warriors at that specific time. So, it’s like, “Oh, of course he did well.” Um, which is what makes evaluating assistant coaches from from afar, I think, really really challenging, I think, both for for fans and for organizations and for media. I mean, I think it’s a great point, right? Like I think I always have thought that one of the the things that the Cavs did was interesting was they kept when they would bring in new head coaches, a lot of the assistants would stay, right? like you would have guys that were already under contract and for whatever reason they decided the best way to operate there was to keep guys rolling in and not like allow the new head coach to go bring in their their chosen people which I always thought was kind of a mistake and I think if you’re getting to to your point I think if you’re getting some new voices in all the time I don’t think that’s a bad thing. I think if you can keep really good ones that maybe don’t end up on the head coaching path, I think that’s a good thing as well. But I think you also do need new ideas. Bring in people from other organizations to to bring in ideas, right? Like if you were running an organization like you wouldn’t want to just I think being insular in any organization is ultimately a mistake. And the Cavs have a pretty insular like consistent front office. They’ve they’ve had a pretty consistent group there. They are now getting new blood in from assistant coaches. I mean getting Brian who came from the Quinn Snider Utire and then was with Tibs in New York was like a huge get and if he goes or a goes you go probably find someone who’s worked with similarly really interesting coaches who are doing good things like can you pull is there someone from OKC you can pull is there someone you know from Indiana I know that might ir like is there someone in Indiana staff that you love that you could give a promotion to and bring in in some way like is there a head coaching guy who didn’t get a job of the cycle that you look at and say that’s our new associate head coach or is there someone on staff that doing a great job and then you bring someone else to the end of the bench and give someone internally a new opportunity. Like I think there is always a positive spin to this stuff. But I think it’s it it does I think it’s an adjustment and it’s hard I think for us on the outside it’s hard to evaluate those adjustments a little bit at least for me. I I also do wonder if you want a former head coach to to come in and do this. Like would you want somebody that maybe Kenny Atinson has worked under before that was a head coach when he was an assistant. Would you want that type of thing like bringing in a Mike Buddhon holder as a as an assistant coach? I don’t know if that is necessarily the best thing or the route that you should take. And I do think that the Cavs have done a good job and there to be clear like there is some holdover from what the staff was under JB Bicker staff to what it is under Kenny Atinson like Omar Cook an assistant coach under both guys. Um Mike Gity assistant coach under both guys. Like it’s not as if they totally cleaned house on the coaching staff. That’s not the case. But I do think that there was a good mix of some new ideas plus some familiarity for the organization because I do think that is something that should be seen as a good thing. But I think what you bring up as far as like who you’re hiring from is important because I I talked so much about the collaboration aspect in the first segment that Kenny Atinson likes to have within his staff, within the organization and and those are things that he openly talks about. Yeah. Um I think that the tree in which you go in terms of hiring a replacement should be an important factor in the decision. like maybe Kenny wants to hire somebody and maybe this makes more sense if Jordan is the guy that gets a job because Jordan is certainly from the Mike Benholes or Kenny Atinson tree in terms of where he’s been before. So maybe you want to go that direction and just hire familiarity. But if it is Johnny Bryant, maybe you need to find somebody else that has different experiences that maybe hasn’t worked with Kenny Atinson in the past that could have be an upandcomer. And the Cavs have historically, at least in the last 10 to 15 years or so, been willing to pay four guys that are going to be near head coaches or are close to being head coaches, good money to be the associate head coach because Johnny Bryant not the first one to leave a good situation for this role. Like the same thing, Terron Lou was the associate head coach in Cleveland. we didn’t necessarily or maybe some of us did anticipate it would go as bad with David Blad as it did but he was hired away to be the associate head coach a title that he had elsewhere like that is something that Cavs have been willing to do so I don’t have Baker staff was John Bines coach and it’s like they build in they build in they both use that to get in I I think two times before this it was it felt like contingency plans now it feels like within you it’s like it’s actually just getting top talent which probably the healthier model and it’s like hey we might we might have messed this up so let’s just like have someone on dial that is unquestionably the healthier model like Johnny Bryant was not a contingency I mean he interviewed for the job but he was not a contingency plan for Kenny Atinson there was and still is utmost faith in Kenny Atinson to be the guy like that was not the thing um what if you could pick I know you mentioned a few different organizations like you mentioned OKC you mentioned Indiana if you could pick what coaching tree would you want an assistant to come to come from in into Cleveland staff like if you could pick let’s say it is Johnny Bryant that goes and again I think it’s probably more likely Jordan is the guy that gets hired but I it’s not as if it’s he’s some overwhelming favorite. Um but if Johnny Bryant goes and you want to bring in some diversification in terms of coaching style in terms of where you’re coming from where would you want that to come from? I would say OKC or Miami probably. Um, and I say that because of the Miami less so in recent years, but OKC I think is a shiny example of this. It’s a player development lens. Like player development, I think in the current cap environment, Danny, is one of the things that you have to nail if you’re going to win championships, if you’re going to compete for championships, if you’re going to make deep runs in the playoffs. I think you have to continually be thinking about how do I get the most out of the young guys we draft. Am I making is this team getting better in the limited amount of practice time we have? Like I think that next hire I’m you’re obviously thinking about Donovan and Evan and Moy I think obviously is someone that you’re expecting to continue to develop. But I’m also thinking about okay is the person I’m gonna bring in help me make Jaylen Tyson better? Are they gonna help me make Luke Travers better? Ammani Bates, Craig Porter, like any any young guy you draft or bring in in the next three years, that’s kind of the that’s part of the lens of viewing it from because those guys are going to need to matter for you on cheap contracts and actually play real minutes. So like I’m thinking about what organizations in recent years have done a good job of developing and turning rookie contract guys and it’s Miami, it’s Oklahoma City and and frankly it’s Indiana with the second contract guys. I mean, they got more out of Obi-Wan and Nmith and Nemhard and like some of these guys they’ve just brought in than the the original teams did. Um, so I’m I’m thinking about I’m finding the teams that do that well and I’m trying to do the best I can I think to figure out who are the people that are actually good at that kind of thing in addition to to the other stuff I think you want as a head coach because you probably if if you do it that way there’s maybe maybe a stays and you promote him to associate head coach or something like that and then you replace some of his work with like a more developmentally minded guy. That’s probably what I would do potentially. I mean, if if Johnny Bryant is the one that gets the job, like I I don’t see why Jordan would not get the promotion to associate head coach. Um because I do think that if you look at that at that staff, he’s going to be the next head coach. Yeah, that’s my question. And I mean, I suppose that they could move somebody from the back of the bench to the front of the bench, like maybe Deari Carol ready to be a front of the bench assistant. I don’t know. But it’ll be um certainly an interesting thing to follow. Chris, we’ve spent a lot of time so far this off season talking about who should stay, who should go, who should be traded, what what the offseason should look like for the Cavs. Talked about something yesterday that I even feel a little bit stronger about today. I want to talk about that next right here on Locked on Cavs. Today’s show brought to you by Better Help. Let’s talk about something that doesn’t get talked about enough. That is men’s mental health. There’s always this pressure to always keep it together, to perform, provide, never show weakness. But the truth is that real strength, it comes from opening up and taking care of your mental well-being. Every year, 6 million men in the United States experience depression. And many go undiagnosed. But talking to somebody, a friend, a loved one, or a therapist can certainly make a huge difference. Therapy not just for crisis moments. It’s great for learning how to set boundaries, build healthy coping tools, and be the best version of yourself. Plus, with over 35,000 licensed professionals, BetterHelp makes it easy to find a therapist who understands you. As the largest online therapy provider in the world, BetterHelp can provide access to mental health professionals with a diverse variety of expertise. Talk it out with BetterHelp. Lockdown Cavs listeners get 10% off their first month at betterhelp.com/lockdonba. That is betterhelp hp.comdonba. Locke ked d o nba. Thank you again for making lockdown cavs your first listen or watch today and every day. If you’re watching on YouTube, do us a favor. Hit that thumbs up button for us. Click subscribe and hit that notification bell so you don’t miss the latest locked on Cavs. And Chris, I talked on yesterday’s show about why I wouldn’t trade Darius Garland. Yeah, I don’t think it would be a wise thing for the Cavs to do. I know there’s been some talk about, you know, potentially it being on the on the table. I don’t think, to be clear, too, I don’t think that he should be some untouchable. Like, there’s a price. Everybody on this roster, I think, other than Evan Mobley and Donovan Mitchell too, has a price, but he’s the one I would look to avoid. And so much of it, as I keep thinking about this, everything the Cavs needed in the playoffs this year and even last year to an extent is what Darius Garland provides. I’m kind of coming around to the fact that this is just maybe the Cavs just need Darius Garland to be healthy. I think they also need him still to level up. I think in certain ways I think that’s also part of the challenge here because I I think a more aggressive Darius Garland who’s more pullup threes just a little bit more kind of taking the pressure off of Mitchell to be a really assertive. I think the assertiveness with him was really what was lacking. It felt like to me in the in the in the Indiana series. That’s still the guy like I think you’re waiting to kind of come out. I think that’s like the pressure reliever that that version of Garland that we’ve seen in spurts. I think does alleviate some of the the small backcourt kind of issues you would just inherently have with with Mitchell and Garland. But I think you’re right. Right. It’s like I think it’s hard to give up like not not that it’s let’s say it’s you’re between trading Allen and Garland and obviously a lower salary you’re trading so it’s like less money you can take back all that stuff. Even with how weird the center position has gotten I think it’s harder to find a Darius Garland type than it is to find an Jared Allen type. Garland’s just more talented. He’s better. Has a more I think impactful skill set for the modern NBA. I would like almost trust that I could like get a rookie center contract guy like in the trade that I’m making for Allen and figure it out, right? Like I think that would be a bet I would make more than it’s like okay we traded like the sug thing was the the thing that I know got kind of misagregated out there from for what it was but it’s like if you make that trade it’s like on one hand I get why you that’s like an impulse you would make to like fill it more like kind of a more natural fit per se but you’re losing like a ton of what makes the NBA matter now which is offense and ball create on ball creation and scoring and smart decision- making like you’re trading in then you have to fill that up with okay moy Are you then like more committed to trying to keep Tai Jerome and like have less leverage to kind of bring him back at a a good number? Like it creates more complications for I think and I think particularly for what Kenny Atinson does. It would be a more reasonable if JB Bicker staff or more defensive-minded head coach was still the Cavs head coach, a Garland trade probably makes more sense, but I think it makes less sense in in a Kenny Atinson context. Yeah, I I think that everything they needed in that Pacer series is stuff that he provides. like they needed the pressure relief, they needed creation, they needed shot making. And to your point about Allen, and I am on team the Cavs should be looking to Freddy Jared Allen. They’re not dumping him for nothing, but I do think that that’s the direction they should go this off season. But when you bring up like what he is and it being easier to find that like Darius Garland, I think is a franchise guard. I don’t know that he can’t be the best player in a title team, but he is a a championship level guard. He is a perennial I think perennial all-star talent. Jared Allen’s not that. Like what Jared Allen is is a borderline all-star center making appropriate money I think. But when you have an AllNBA level center also on the roster, I think that the overlap there matters more than the overlap in the back court between Garland and Mitchell. Because when you have two guys that can create from the perimeter versus having a guy that you need to get the basketball to in Jared Allen, you’re never going to get maybe his full value in Cleveland and you’re also not going to get Evan Moley’s full value in Cleveland if he’s here forever. Um, and I don’t expect him to be here forever, whether it’s this offseason, next offseason. Like I would be stunned if Jared Allen finishes his current or the contract extension he signed last summer. I’d be stunned if he finishes that in Cleveland. But I do think that trading him, not only it’s easier to work a trade out because you’re not trying to get as much value back as you would be for Darius Garland, but it also helps Evan Mobley grow a little bit too. And I don’t know that trading Darius Garland is anything other than put more on Donovan Mitchell’s plate, which I don’t think is the answer. No. And I I think I think the question that I would kind of raise to be devil’s advocate is that the fact that Daryus Garland did just kind of like play not didn’t really do the things you expect to be able to do against Indiana does kind of would make me like that makes me wonder a little bit and that could just be you lost in a way you didn’t expect that nothing in that series really went right and it’s not just him but that does give me some pause and it is just like I think we have to also just think about these trades not so much in just in terms of like what the player is but also just salary it’s like it’s a salary realization world and if they’re saying okay aprons it’s easier to trade the guy making like significantly more than the other guy for to make give us more flexibility. I can understand like why that argument exists and like why you would have that thought process. I think ultimately you got to just bet on the talent and he’s a more talented better player. But on the other hand, I do get it’s just like the the salary I think is part of that discussion, right? Like I think it has to be and that’s I think it’s just the reality. I think you’re why you’re going to see like very few teams exist in that second apron world. They’re going to keep like moving on from guys to duck out of that. And I think why you’ll see certain like kinds of players get smaller contracts over time. Garland’s kind of the guy where it’s like, okay, if he if they had made the NBA finals or conferred finals and and lost in seven or something, you probably would have less questions about that if he had played well. But he didn’t play well. He makes a bunch of money. We’re in a weird cap environment. I think that just naturally becomes a guy you you think about when he’s the first guy down from what you would consider the untouchables. Darius Garland is eligible for an extension this summer. If you’re the Cavs, do you have do you have in person extending him? I mean, you probably have like a meeting about it, but like why do you need You don’t need to do it now. It also just I mean, you don’t need to. It just felt like yesterday. It just felt like yesterday that he signed the extension where they did the photo shoot at like Carbone in Vegas or whatever. Pretty I’m like I’m 99% sure they like did a photo shoot with him, Kobe, and Rich Paul at Carbone in Las Vegas. I’m like 99%. They might have. I don’t remember it if they did, but they might have. I don’t know. My brain’s disgusting. Like, but like I I think I think that but it’s like that happened like that feels like it happened like a year ago. It like it didn’t it just n that’s how fast these things come like they just come like Jared Allen got extended obviously and that didn’t it didn’t feel like that long ago that they signed him to that extension either like these things come very very quickly. I don’t think you should do anything this summer. What’s what is the reason to do something this summer? What would I wonder? I think they’re potentially locking him in at a non-max number. Like in the current world, I don’t know that Darius Garland’s a max player. In the previous world, he was in the current world. I don’t know. Like Darius Garland is a, as ESPN’s Brian Winhurst terms it like the fund max coming off the rookie contract. No issues Darius Garland getting the contract he’s currently on. But I don’t know that you can afford to pay him the max on the next contract. I and I and I I think it’s not that’s not even just I think I think about him I think that’s like unless you’re one of the top eight guys in league I don’t know if I want to give you the the full full max on your second max contract. I think it’s like very li I think it’s very few guys you should just hand over the the max amount of money to before this was like this would have just been an automatic before the aprons I think would have just been like yeah you just kind of keep rolling it forward. I think that’s where you would have been figured out later. Yeah. You just figure out like who you have to trade later. Yeah, I think that’s fair. Um, and I I do think there’s part of that is where the Cavs are at. Like I think Jared Allen’s extension, as we talked about, is not one I anticipate him finishing wearing a Cavs uniform in. Like he will finish that extension one day. I don’t know where he’s going to be, but I’d be very surprised if it’s in Cleveland. I just I think that’s kind of the Cavs are going to at some point cut costs and I think that’s going to be one of them. Maybe it’s this summer, maybe it’s not. I don’t know. Garland’s three years left. There’s no reason to do anything now. you would be like getting way I think ahead of the horse I think unless it was like probably right I think unless it was like you’re like very sure that it was a good deal like below max then you do it but I like that’s not how clutch operates you know like that’s not historically how how Rich Paul and in that agency operate for their clients they would probably rather like float a he wants out or that the Cavs are looking to trade him more than they would take the discount. Yeah, I think that’s fair. Uh Chris, thank you for doing this. It was a blast having you back. I’ll have to have you back on at at some other point this summer to just talk about something that’s not like an assistant coach change. I mean, when Isaac, if you don’t call me the day Isaac, and I’m predicting this that when Isaac Coro gets salary dumped, I’m going to be offended. Okay, I will that day because I think that will happen too. Um that is one of my offseason predictions. I think he will get traded. Yeah. Um, you and I we’re podcast I I’m going to I’m going to make you duck out of your real job if it happens between 9:00 and 5:00 and we are doing an emergency podcast. No matter what time of day it is, you are you are committing to this now. Yeah, I’ll get the I’ll get the um I’ll get some midday I’ll get a I’ll get a migraine and we’ll we’ll we’ll podcast about Isaac Core getting traded to the Wizards and then we’ll go to the bar afterwards. Chris, thanks so much for doing this. You can find Chris over at the Just Basketball Podcast anywhere you get your podcast. And you can find this podcast anywhere you get your podcast as well. Like us, subscribe, give us a fivestar rating, hit that thumbs up button if you’re on YouTube, and I will be back tomorrow right here on Locked on Cavs talking more about the Cleveland Cavaliers.

On this episode of Locked On Cavs, Danny Cunningham (The Inside Shot, 92.3 The Fan, Cleveland Magazine) is joined by Chris Manning (Just Basketball Podcast) to explorem potential changes to the Cleveland Cavaliers’ coaching staff and their implications for the team’s future. The guys discuss the impact of assistant coaches Johnnie Bryant and Jordan Ott interviewing for the Phoenix Suns head coaching position. The podcast examines the potential “brain drain” effect on the Cavs, particularly focusing on Bryant’s relationship with Donovan Mitchell and Ott’s contribution to the team’s offensive success. Danny and Chris analyze possible trades involving key players like Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen, considering their value, contract situations, and fit within the current roster. The episode concludes with a discussion on contract extensions and salary cap considerations, exploring how new NBA rules might influence the Cavaliers’ decision-making process for their core players.
Check out Danny’s Substack, The Inside Shot: https://theinsideshot.substack.com/
Email the show: LOCavsmailbag@gmail.com
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