Trades Coming for the Cleveland Cavaliers? – Ken Carman (92.3 The Fan) Shares Thoughts
Okay. All right. Let’s start with the Cavs. So, the Cavs have kept their core four in place so far this season. We we’ve heard a lot of LeBron rumors. We’ve heard, you know, uh maybe Garland’s on the trade block, maybe Jared Allen’s on the trade block, but what do you think of this team? you know, the, you know, best team in the East last year getting knocked out by a upstart Pacers team that went on an crazy run. So, what’s your thoughts on the Cavs moving into 25 26? Do the should they keep it together or should they, you know, trade a few pieces, shake things up? I don’t know if it’s a should. I think it’s probably like they have to. Um, okay. I I I think that because of the constraints of the of the Second Apron, I think they’re probably going to have to keep that together. And I know that’s a dangerous thing just because I I think naturally they’re supposed to try to get tougher and I don’t know exactly how that’s supposed to go. So I, you know, I got to I I think that for them, you know, they got to figure out a way to try to make this thing work together as is. And I think that the way it work and it’s worked together to a certain degree obviously, but I think that the underrated thing of this and and I don’t want to make too big a deal about it and hang my hat on it or anything, but I think it’s something that we need to watch is with Darius Garland’s injury at the beginning of the year, what the offense does and if it runs off of Evan Mowgi instead because I think that that’s going to be a key uh for Darius to understand and be a little bit more off ball that Evan’s going to need to be fed. Now, it’s exactly what Donovan said is we’re they’re going to have to Evan’s going to have to call for it. Evan’s going to have to be more assertive uh with what he wants what he with what he wants out of the offense. But by the time that Darius is able to come back, I think that there’s going to be kind of there has to be some sort of a reality of it where this has to push through Evan if it’s going to push any further. I mean, he has to be the best player on the floor. Uh Donovan is great, but Donovan I don’t think has the the size like Evan does to be able to be that dominant of a player. He’s a great player, but he’s not dominant. Um Evan has to be that guy. Now, I don’t know if Evan’s going to be able to. I think, you know, they only have two more years together and then we’re going to have ourselves a bit of an issue here where Donovan’s going to be 31. He might go into ring chase mode. He may opt out. Of course, that’s a lot of money to opt out of. So, um you know, he’ll have to make his decision. and they’re going to try to make it as nice as they can to try to keep him. But I mean, we’ll see what happens in two years. Maybe everybody will want to go their separate ways and it’ll have to be busted up and and we’ll focus our efforts towards Evan or we’ll focus our efforts towards uh rebuilding the roster all over again. But I think that for them it’s just going to have to come naturally with them. And uh I think that’s a that’s a scary thing to say where you’ve had the Pacers, you had Boston last year, but I thought that they played they tried to play up to their level last year against Boston. So, I’m not really going to kill him for that. And then this last year against Indiana was a total disappointment. So, you know, two of the last three years have been embarrassing, I would say, for and uh there’s really nowhere else to go in terms of moving contracts around to bring in guys that are really going to help. And I think it’s made us think some crazy things here as far as, you know, trading Darius Garland for 35 year olds. um things like that where I don’t think 35 year olds, guys who are in their upper 30s, not named LeBron James. I think that that’s kind of made some people a little nervous about where this is going. And I think maybe we have focused too much on fit in terms of hey, we still need to have the talent that’s out there and and and no doubt have a chance to be able to get further in the postseason. No doubt. Yeah. And and I mean on honestly one of the, you know, regular season, one of the best offenses of all time. Uh you do have four legit allstars, maybe two legit superstars on your team. And you know, it’s it’s maybe maybe keeping it together maybe isn’t the worst thing if these guys can gel together over these next two years, but this year it feels like such an important year for the direction of this franchise. whether it’s like you said, blow it up in two years and redo it or just maybe retool some pieces. But yeah, I I can uh I can see this going a lot of ways, but hopefully sticking it together is good. I think this winter, depending on how things start, I think this winter we could see the very first not and and maybe it’s before that. I mean, Donovan didn’t get traded until September when they first traed for him. Um, but I think maybe this winner is where we see the first movement of the big of, you know, the core four of what they have. And I think probably the first person that would be the easiest one to move out of that would probably be Jared Allen. Now, what can they bring in for Jared Allen? Um, I think again, I think it’s all easier said than done, especially when you have the cap constraints that they have, but you have one guy who makes a reasonable salary to move. You have the other three guys that are basically maxed out. Um, I think it’s going to be very difficult to move on any of those guys because, you know, we we’ve said crazy things about some of the trades, but at the same time, I mean, you’re paying so much more into the luxury tax now than what you did just a few years ago. And then there’s also, okay, how many guys can you actually keep on the roster that are going to be worth? So, you go from a 10-man rotation during the regular season, maybe down to an eight-man rotation during the regular season. And I think that that would affect Kenny Atinson very much. So, there’s a needle that they have to thread. And I think that if there was any movement, I think it would probably be probably late in the game before the season starts or midseason trade deadline and the biggest piece that would possibly be moved would be Jared. Okay. Okay. Um do you think uh the Cavs would be in their best interest? Now last year was maybe an anomaly. They lost all three games at home to the Pacers. So, does that one seat even matter or is it best to kind of try to keep your guys healthy, which they did this season and it kind of just bad timing, bad luck in the playoffs? So, do they go for that number one seed again or or just get through the regular season healthy and get to the playoffs? Well, they had even I mean they were I think they were 0 and5 against Indiana through the whole year. Uh they lost the two regular season games at home. So, it’s it’s a bad matchup. It’s a bad matchup. Now it it becomes easier sad to say because you know Tyresese Hallebertton is going to be out for the year. So you kind of put Indiana on a shelf and see what they’re going to do uh coming up in 26 27 that’s in just a couple of years. So I I think that the the number one seed I think that they do find home court important. I think that you know if you get to a game seven against a team that’s of equal match to you I think that it’s important to get that game at home. But I also think in the grand scheme of things, you know, I I think we have to worry about the size of our players and where they’re going to be at the end of the year. Uh I think Donovan played a little bit gassed at the end of the year and Donovan’s still a guy who’s only 63 and if you’re putting that much on him, it’s going to take that much out of him. So I still think they’re trying to figure out exactly how to manage his minutes, okay? And how to manage this basketball team with him. I see them being in a they should be a top four seated team next year naturally. Uh but I see them trying to be more in a in a preservation mode because I think that Donovan has fought that as well. I think he’s a competitive guy. Uh I think he’s fought having to be um sat at times. I I think that he takes the load management thing pretty serious. Um but at the same time, you’ve heard him at the end of the year and I think he’s I think he’s understood a little bit too late about what he’s supposed to be in and in in sitting and and being the guy that’s there for them at the end of the season rather than carry him through regular season games. I mean, the regular season just simply doesn’t matter to them anymore. They have to get back to the postseason, figure out what works during the regular season, but get back to the postseason and and and make a run at this thing before it’s too late. No doubt. No doubt. Well said.
The Cleveland Cavaliers are coming off a disappointing early NBA Playoffs exit after securing the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference. In this segment from “The 330 Sports Show,” Ken Carman of 92.3 The Fan in Cleveland shares his thoughts on what be coming in the immediate future for the team in terms of trades and revamping the roster. #clevelandcavaliers #cavs #nba
Full episode: https://youtube.com/live/5nRlB4MDr5A?feature=share
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