Cleveland Cavaliers Get the NATIONAL TV Treatment OFTEN in the New Schedule! | NBA Statement?

Cleveland Cavaliers Get the NATIONAL TV Treatment OFTEN in the New Schedule! | NBA Statement?

On today’s show, we’ve learned a little bit about the Cavs schedule for the 2025 2026 season. Tell you what that says about the Cavs and the Eastern Conference. Plus, a very special guest going to join the show. That’s all straight ahead on 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 and 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. And I’m going to say thank you to you for making Locked on Cavs your first listen today and every day. You can find the show anywhere you get your podcasts, Apple, Spotify, or anywhere else. Make sure to drop us a fivestar rating, leave us a nice review, and of course, be a friend. Tell a friend about Locked on Cavs. Make sure you’re subscribed. Make sure a friend is subscribed as well. And if you’re watching the show on YouTube as we get started here, do us a favor. Hit that thumbs up button for us. Click subscribe and hit that notification bell so you don’t miss Lockdown Cavs content. A proud part of the Lockdown Podcast Network. Your team every day. And today’s episode brought to you by FanDuel. Football season right around the corner. So visit the FanDuel app today and start planning your futures bets right now. Again, head to the FanDuel sportsbook app today to start planning for your football futures bets right now. There was some Cavs news that came out on Tuesday as we’ve got a taste of what the Cleveland Cavaliers schedule will look like. I believe we will be getting more and more of this throughout the week. And then on Thursday, I believe the full NBA schedule will be announced. Now, it was reported late last week that the Cavs would be traveling to Madison Square Garden on Christmas to take on the New York Knicks. Obviously, that has been since confirmed by the NBA. That was part of the announcement on Tuesday morning. But there were a few other Cavs games that were announced as national TV games. And I I want to talk about the Peacock exclusive game against the Detroit Pistons. I think that’s interesting about how we’re going to categorize this. But I I think the biggest thing here is while the Cavs are not going to be playing on opening night of the NBA season, that is a night that has two games. They’re both Western Conference games. The Cavs obviously not a Western Conference teams. The Cavs will be on national television the second night of the season. They will be opening up the year in New York against the Knicks on October 22nd on ESPN. That is the first of what will be I expect to be several nationally televised games. And after seeing the announcement come out on Tuesday about the Cavs not only playing on opening week on ESPN, but having a Peacock exclusive game the first Monday of the season against the Detroit Pistons. We already knew about Christmas Martin Luther King Jr. Day. They will be playing host to the Oklahoma City Thunder on a nationally televised game on NBC and Peacock, I believe. So that right off the rip is four nationally televised games for the Cleveland Cavaliers. And one of the things that I think we should take away from this announcement on Tuesday is that the NBA and their television partners do not have much faith in the Eastern Conference. Because Christmas, there are five games, the only two teams playing on Christmas Day from the Eastern Conference, the Cavs and Knicks. the fact that two of three or four, I don’t know if the Cavs will play the Knicks three times or four times this season. Two of those matchups will be nationally televised on ESPN or ABC. I’m not sure if the the Christmas Day games ABC or not. I know that opening week is ESPN, but the fact that those two games are going to be nationally televised and really those are the the two biggest matchups in the Eastern Conference this year. like that is the teams those are the teams that I think it’s fair to say the NBA and more importantly the NBA’s television partners in NBC and ESPN and Amazon and we will learn more about that I believe today um as far as Amazon’s schedule goes but I do think that they believe the Cavs and Knicks are far and away the two best teams in the Eastern Conference. I was a little surprised that we really didn’t see the Orlando Magic. We really didn’t see the Atlanta Hawks. And part of it is the Knicks are obviously a pretty big draw. I think the Cavs are going to continue to be a decent draw. They’re not going to be the same level of attention grabber that the New York Knicks are because the Knicks play in New York and the Cavs play in Cleveland and there is a difference there as much as I might not want to admit that that thing does matter. The location there does matter. Um, I was a little surprised that the Cavs are not opening up at home given the fact that their Christmas Day matchup is in New York, which I did not see as a surprise. Um, I I thought that Cavs Knicks might open up in Cleveland, but the fact that this is a nationally televised game, the fact that the Cavs already have four nationally televised games announced on the first day that the league is announcing these things, I think is a sign that they’re going to be featured pretty prominently on national TV this year. And one of the things too by looking at the Christmas Day schedule in particular, I think that we are going to see a lot of Cavs home games be nationally televised because I do think that the television partners are going to want to lean more into the Western Conference. So I think when you see teams obviously Oklahoma City coming to Cleveland already been announced as a nationally televised game would not be surprised if the game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Cavaliers which ESPN’s Dave McMen Dave McMenan reported is going to be in late January. Would not be surprised if that is a nationally televised game. I would imagine that when the Houston Rockets come to town that is a nationally televised game. The Minnesota Timberwolves could be a nationally televised game. I think a lot of the upper tier Western Conference opponents coming to Cleveland will probably be nationally televised games because I think some of these TV partners are going to be searching for the early window national TV game and they’re going to put the Cavs in a lot. They’re going to put the Knicks on a lot. I’m sure Atlanta will get some. I’m sure Orlando will get some. But I would after the news on Tuesday, I would expect somewhere between 17 and 23 nationally televised games for the Cavs this year. I think the Cavs are going to be featured very prominently in the national television landscape this year. Part of that is because they’re expected to be very good. Part of that is because the Eastern Conference is not expected to be very good. But the NBA and their television partners trust two Eastern Conference teams to be good and the Cavs are one of them. That is certainly one of the things that I think we learned by just the little nuggets of the schedule that has come out. Of course, we will learn more as the week goes on. As I said, I believe Amazon is announcing a big part of their package as they are now an NBA rights holder. That’s going to happen today. And then I believe the full NBA schedule is going to come out on Thursday at some point. So, we will have lots to talk about this week as far as the schedule goes. Now, up next, a very special guest going to join. Put it out on social media as far as whether or not this person should come on. She has been a guest on this show before, but before I was hosting this show, my wife Britney is going to come on and talk Cap. She’s a gigantic Cavs fan. Many of you know her from Twitter, Bird’s Eye View on Twitter. We got married this past weekend and she wants to come on and she wants to grill me about the Cleveland Cavaliers and since we’re married now feel like it’s the least I can do. So that is straight ahead right here on Locked on Cavs. Today’s show is brought to you by FanDuel. 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Of course, you might know Britney from Twitter at bird’s eye view. She previously hosted her own podcast. That’s what be said, which everybody wants to come back. But welcome to Locked on Cavs. Thank you. Now, why don’t you tell people the real reason why you actually finally invited me on the show. So, you’re on this show because Taylor Swift is going on Travis Kelce’s podcast later on tonight and we needed to try and find a way to oneup them when, not if, when they move to Cleveland. It is my only mission in life to be their best friends. We need a couple friend. You’re Hold on, hold on, hold on. You’re an athlete. Golf counts everyone before you start. You’re an athlete. I am blonde with cats, a writer. I don’t know. Like I think we’d be a great match for each other. I don’t think that they are going to uh to go for that one. I think that it’s going to need it’s a harder cell than just that. I don’t know that that’s exactly going to going to do it for them. But that’s okay. Um if it doesn’t work, it doesn’t work. We have to be fine with that. All right. Whatever you say, Denny. By the way, nice nice Fandal ad. I love how you decided to put Lamar Jackson in there. I mean, maybe he got robbed. Maybe he’ll maybe he will have a revenge season. You knew I was listening. That was intentional. It felt pointed. We are in the same apartment right now in different rooms recording this. So, you could probably hear it through the computer screen and you could probably hear my actual voice. But the real reason you wanted to come on aside from any Taylor Swift drama um or her joining any other podcast or to talk about Lamar Jackson is because you are of course a gigantic Cavs fan. Um one of the biggest Cavs fans that I know and you have a lot of questions that you wanted to ask and a lot of things that you wanted to talk about and there’s no better time to do so than right now. Yeah, you know what? I agree with that. Um I do have a lot of questions. Number one, how dare you? I’m just kidding. Okay. I thought it would be kind of fun to sort of interview you since nobody ever really does that on the show. So, why don’t we just do that? Let’s see how it goes. Okay. All right. Here we go. Number one, Danny, I need you to be really honest with me here. Is my LeBron James dream dead? Uh, so define what that LeBron James dream is. Obviously, I know what it is, but the audience doesn’t because I have access to your takes 24/7 and they don’t. So, what is your LeBron James dream? That they will buy him out and he will come back to Cleveland and we don’t have to give up anyone. Everything can stay exactly the same except LeBron comes home and they win another ring. That’s the full dream. So, I think that dream is dead for this year. I don’t see why the Lakers would buy him out. um if they do buy him out, like if things get really messy, um I don’t see that happening before the season starts. And because of where the Cavs are at financially, they cannot add a buyout player to their roster once the season starts. They can add one during the summer, but once the season begins, second apron teams cannot add a buyout player um that was making over a certain amount of money, which LeBron James is making well over that amount of money. I believe it’s the mid-level exception which is roughly $14 million this year. So that dream I do think is dead. Now I don’t think it is dead for next summer. I think that there is a nonzero chance that 12 months from now we’re talking about LeBron James as a member of the Cavs again. But I do think as of right now that is a dream that you should maybe let go of just for the time being. Maybe keep it keep it on the back burner if you will for 2026. you know, that’s not what I do. Here’s the thing, though. I wasn’t even like at the Okay, at the end of the Cavs season, not even at the end, like, you know, before the playoff run, all that. I was like, you know what? This team is perfection to me. I don’t need anything. I love LeBron. I want to keep it separate. But between we were on our way to Canton for a wedding on July 4th dur it was like 10 minutes on that car ride that I I flipped and I was like you know what I’m all in. I’m all the way back in. I want him on the team as long as we don’t have to give up anything and he will take a big pay cut and I don’t want to say goodbye to anyone. Um so yeah, thanks for killing my dream. You’re welcome. Um, that is one of the things I do best. I think that’s what marriage is all about. Um, but I do think that that dream could be alive 12 months from now, but I don’t think it is right now. All right, fine. All right, next question. This one’s actually really important to me, so please listen carefully. Can we finally admit that it was injuries that ended the Cavs playoff run, or do we have to continue the narrative that they aren’t built for the playoffs? So, I think that the narrative that they’re not built for the playoffs um has always been a little disingenuous. And I think a big reason why that gets brought up is the series they had against the Knicks a few years back, right? Because in that series, that was a very different team than what it was this year, even last year, where they were counting on Lamar Stevens to play big minutes and Jetty Ospen and Danny Green off the bench was viewed as some, you know, shooting savant that could come in and save their offense against the New York Knicks. And that obviously is not what the Cavs are right now. And even two years ago, they beat the Orlando Magic in a series that probably drugg on a little longer than it needed to, but they won a postseason series. And then they lost, they were injured a bunch, sure, but they lost to the best team in the NBA and the Boston Celtics by a wide margin at that point. There was no shame in that. There was not a world in which if they stayed healthy, they were going to win that series. Like, no, they got beat by the team that went on to win the title. And that I that just ran through the Eastern Conference really. And then this year, injuries, I think, matter a lot. And I think they matter more than anybody wants to necessarily admit because that’s not the fun way to do things, right? Like it’s not as simple as, oh well, it it it sounds like sour grapes, I guess, if you will. If you say, well, the Cavs were hurt. Of course they lost. Like that does matter, though. So it’s not as if there’s some perfect playoff team because that’s not true either. There has to be a bit of gray area there or context thrown in is probably a better way to phrase it. But I look at this and say, yeah, Donovan Mitchell played, I thought, tremendously in that series against the Pacers, despite the fact that he was dealing with a pretty significant calf strain, and Evan Mobley was okay dealing with an ankle injury that caused him to miss a game and limited him severely um for the other ones that he played. Darius Garland obviously looked like a shell of himself. He could not move out there. So, I look at that and DeAndre Hunter’s thumb injury I thought had a big impact on him shooting the basketball, too. So, I look at that and I just think, you know, I don’t know that they’re not built for the playoffs. I don’t think that they’ve proven they are built for the playoffs, but I don’t know that they’re not yet either. Like, it almost feels as if this past postseason was not in not a fair data point because of all the injuries. Like, it’s hard for me to say one way or another after watching them against the Pacers. I love how you talk to me. I am a serious person. You are a serious person. You’re doing a great job of interviewing me right now. But you talk to me like you’re talking to like Brian Winhurst, like explaining yourself or like when you’re on the radio and I’m just like, “Yeah.” All right. Um, how much better do you And first I I know not to be like disrespectful to all your listeners and stuff. I know you’ve answered all these like I hear you when you record everything. Um, so I know this is repeat information that you’ve already given them. Um, but this is, you know, fun stuff that I want to talk about. You’re you’re going to program the show for a day and that’s what matters. I’m taking over. I’ve hijacked your show. How much better do you think they’ve gotten in the off season, if at all? Actually, you know what? I want to combine this with the next question because it’s important. And are you happy with the Lonzo Ball Trade? Parentheses, choose your words carefully, Danny. So, why do I have to choose my words carefully here? You know why you have to choose your words carefully? But the audience does. Why do I need to choose my words carefully here, Britney? For those who don’t know, let me tell you the story of my bachelorette party. Um, Isaac Coro, rip, but not really. Isaac Coro is my he was my favorite Cavalier since Colin Ston. I know. Boo, whatever. Um, so back when Colin got traded, you know, they brought Donovan in. I was talking to Danny and I was like, uh, yeah, I need to pick a new player. Who am I going to go with? And this was like right after Evan got drafted. So, you know, my heart was always with Isaac Aoro. And I told him, I was like, “Hey, uh, I think Isaac Aoro is my new guy.” And the look of defeat on his face. And this is what he said to me. He said, “Oh my god, Britney, why can’t you just pick Evan Mobley?” And to be fair here, I was right about that one. That was going into Evan’s second year. And like this isn’t some, oh, you know, I was real bold and said Evan Mobley is going to be really good. Like everyone thought he was going to be really good. Yeah. But I think I saw the day coming where the Cavs were going to move on from Isaac Aoro and that he might not he might be a guy that gets cut out of the core the way that he was. And he always I just think projected as much more of a role player than Evan Moy who should be in Cleveland for a really long time. Um, so, so when we got traded a couple months ago, I it was my bach party weekend and I was getting ready for that. Danny had, you know, he had an early shift and he came home and he took a nap and I’m sitting there and I I get on Twitter and I see what happened. And for who it was, I had to go wake Danny up from his slumber to tell him that my favorite Cavalier just got traded for a player that I’m not like a big fan of on my bachelorette party day. Yeah, that was a tough one for you, but I do think it’s going to be a good one for the Cavs. Like I look at that move and I don’t know that because of basically because of how good Tai was last year offensively and the just Lonzo Ball is a question mark and because of the injuries and you have to say oh you know if Lonzo Ball is healthy like you have to put that caveat every time you talk about him and you know this from not just this show but from you and I talking about this you have to put the caveat of if Lonzo Ball is healthy but I think that they’re a team that is probably better equipped if fully healthy for the postseason because they have fewer guys that are just one-way players. Like Isaac Aoro’s problem was that no one was ever going to guard him when the Cavs had the ball in the postseason. And Ty Jerome’s issue, aside from having a a really poor series against the Pacers offensively, is that in any series, no matter how good he is offensively, he was going to be a target defensively. And the Cavs really don’t have role players like that anymore. So, by that virtue, I do think that they’re better equipped for the postseason. Now, the thing I wonder is that going to translate to just as many regular season wins? Probably not, but that’s just not the thing that matters now. That’s acceptable. I guess heard you say a lot worse. You you seem very defeated. And the warning I got from Britney before we started this was, “You better be nice about Isaac Aoro.” And I went on another podcast that I don’t believe has come out yet and her two of her favorite players were Isaac Aoro and Jimmy Butler. Obviously never on the Cavs, but she’s a big Jimmy Butler fan. And and all he did was sit there and talk crap about both of them the whole time. I did not. And whenever those podcasts come out, probably sometime in the next week, you will be able to be the judge of that. I believe Britney has some more for me. So, we’re going to get to that next right here on Locked on Cast. Thanks again for making Lockdown Cavs your first watch or listen of the day. You can help out the show by subscribing on YouTube. Make sure you hit that thumbs up button as well and click the notification bell so you don’t miss the latest locked on Cavs because sometimes it might include my wife popping up on the show as today’s episode does. So Britney, what else do you have? What other Cavs questions do you want to grill me on? Um, actually this is more about you. Um, what is your favorite thing about covering the Cavs? So, for me, one, I really enjoy going to basketball games. Like, I just I think it’s a I think the the lack of a monotony throughout the season is something that I think really makes the job enjoyable. I enjoy having the opportunities to build relationships. like I I’ve gotten to know people that work for the Cavs, people that play for the Cavs and and things like that and build those professional relationships in a way that I do really value. And you know, I I I think it’s a fun thing. Obviously, it’s not the traditional job. There are, and you know this better than anybody, there are a lot of really late nights that go along with it. Um, but it is the thing that one I I do think I’m good at, and two, it’s the thing that I just I never wanted to have a job where I was just like waiting to go home where I just wanted to get it over with and I wanted to go home. And is it the most fun thing in the world every single night? Like when the Toronto Raptors are in town on a Tuesday night in January, is it the most exciting thing? No. But there are a lot of super exciting moments and those super exciting moments by far outweigh the moments that might not be as exciting. Um, and it’s not a job I’ll ever complain about. It’s a job that I I just cherish and love to get to do. And I it’s the thing that professionally has made me feel the most fulfilled and the happiest. So, you’re saying the late nights and uh being away from me on holidays like Christmas, which I Those are the best parts of your job. I did not mention travel. I did not say travel. That’s all I’m going to say. Uhhuh. All right. One thing that people might not know about Danny is that he actually played football through college and he played a lot of baseball growing up. Um, so Danny, what is it about basketball that drew you in? So when I first got into this, um, there was the LeBron aspect of things, of course. Um, I was in college when LeBron came back to the Cavs and that is kind of what inspired me to pursue this type of career. And the other part of it too as far as basketball goes, like the Cavs were good and you know, you always want to be around the the good teams. Like you want to cover the good themes. They’re much more entertaining and fun and and pleasant to be around than the bad teams like the the the football team here. Um but the other thing was, you know, you mentioned I played football in college and it wasn’t the best experience for me because I got hurt a lot in the three years I was on the football team in college. Um, I had five surgeries. So, like I went to college on a football scholarship and you know, you have these dreams of and I I’m not gonna sit here and say I was ever going to head to the NFL, but you know, you dream of being a successful collegiate athlete. And that wasn’t the path for me because I got hurt a bunch. And at that point, I was just kind of like done with football to an extent. Like I didn’t I wasn’t dying to be around the game much more because I had such a bad taste in my mouth from getting hurt all the time. like it was a thing that that made me sad and I did not want to be around a thing that made me sad all the time and basketball wasn’t that for me and with baseball it is so it’s such a grind and so monotonous and you know we talked about the late nights that this job has and covering the calves and and all that stuff but with baseball it’s every night all summer and that was something that I could just never picture myself signing up for like that would have been the thing that’s going way too far for me. I think that, you know, nights and weekends during the winter versus nights and weekends all summer long are two very different things for me. Gotcha. Um, last question. Are the calves, the players themselves, are they as nice as they seem? Because you see them on TV and they give off this like power of friendship, wholesome vibe. So, are they as nice as I choose to believe they are? I do think for the most part, yeah. Um, they are a I think a really good group of guys. And the quote from Darius Garland, this was after the Dylan Brooks, Donovan Mitchell, I don’t know if fight is the word, maybe frackus is a better word. Um, a few years back, this was, I believe, Donovan’s first year in Cleveland. uh when I believe Dylan took a shot at Donovan’s groin and Donovan threw the basketball at him and they both got ejected and then as soon as the game ended, Donovan was essentially waiting for the media at the podium because he wanted to talk about this. Um and then Darius Garland spoke at the podium later that night and I don’t remember I might have been the one to ask it but I’m not positive. Um, but somebody asked him to like how he would describe this Cavs team and he said, “We’re a bunch of nice young men.” And he said, you know, but like if if push comes to shove, like we will be there for each other and, you know, we’re we’re not going to back down from people. And I do think all those things are true, but inside that locker room, I do think there are a lot of good guys in there. like um I’ve been around a lot of different superstars in my career, whether it’s been here with LeBron in not not not nearly the same capacity I’m around the Cavs right now, but briefly, you know, covering the team on a somewhat regular basis, but not daily. Um or being in Milwaukee or being in Minnesota, like Donovan just seems to be the most genuine superstar I’ve been around, which has certainly been a really cool thing. But I just think there’s not necessarily a bad guy in that locker room. And of course, the faces always change in the NBA and they have changed from last year to this year and I’m sure that there will be some sort of change from this year to next year, but really since I’ve been covering the Cavs um this second time around, it’s been pretty consistent that there’s been a lot of good guys in that locker room. And I do think that is for fans, I think that’s a really good thing. Um like I think that this is a group that should be really easy to root for. Um, and you always want to have that in your sports teams that you’re cheering for. Good answer. I approve. I’m glad you do approve. Now, I know the other thing you wanted to do, you came up with a list. You are a big scary movie fan. Um, you can’t really see, but you already have Halloween pillows on our couch. Oh, they could see them. I’ll just bring them up. I got home tonight and our apartment was decorated with Halloween stuff already. Even though It’s August 12th. Halloween’s not for two more months. It’s spooky season is what he means. It’s not. But you wanted to compare membersh to four movies or how did you do this? Here we got a question which I didn’t realize that I did realize it but the show is only like a half hour long. Um, and that doesn’t even like give me enough time to like amp up to complain about something like a half hour. What’s that? Um, so I asked for mailbag question mailbag questions and I got a few. Thanks for all those guys. The one that I want to answer because look, I took the time to make a list for it. I promise it I’ll go quickly. But the question from Briissa friend of show Cavs players/h horror movie comps and ranked. Okay. So what I did was I ranked the Cavs in order of how good I think they are and then next to them I put what horror movie I would compare them to. Okay. Okay. Now, you have no reference for this because the only I think the only horror movies you I know the calves. You’ve only seen Halloween, the original Halloween, right? And one time I made you watch Moth Man Prophecies and you hated it and closed your eyes for most of it. Was not a fan. I am not a big scary movie person. Um I don’t know that the audience knew that, but I am not a big scary movie person. That is the understatement of the century. Not a big scary movie person. He has seen exactly two scary movies in the the history of his life. Um, so here’s here’s how it goes. So number one, obviously I put Donovan. Um, and I compared him to Halloween, the original Halloween 1978. The notes that I took, these are comparing them. Um, number one, it doesn’t get better than this. Number two, no matter how many times I watch them, I’m still in awe. There are times, this isn’t about Halloween, but with Donovan, he does things that all I could do is sit there and laugh at how good it is. I I that’s the only reaction I can have. Number three, they are both art that needs to be studied. So, Donovan Mitchell would be the original Halloween. Number two, Evan Mobley. I put him as Smile, which Danny, you’ve never seen, but you’ve heard me talk about. I have, but I’ve I have no idea how good or not good the movie is, but I do think Evan’s pretty good. Okay, so this is why. Number one, the potential is there to scare the heck out of you. Number two, both are somehow still underrated. A lot of people haven’t seen them, so they’re a little wary when you tell them how good they are. And four, their best parts will have your jaw on the floor. Sounds like Evan, right? Yeah, I think that is I think that’s pretty good. I think that’s a really good description of Evan. Now, I can’t speak the smile, but I think that’s a good description of Evan. Yeah. Well, have I mentioned I’m a writer. All right. Number three, my little baby Darius Garland. So, for him, I didn’t do a a movie. I opted to go with a scary series, which is American Horror Story. Um, I only put one reason for this, Danny. You can agree with the reason. Some seasons are better than others, but the potential to be great is always there. I think that’s really good. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, that is that is accurate about Darius. That’s certain. I agree. My little baby. And I will I will defend Darius Garland and American Horror Story till my dying breath. So, there you go. Number four, Jared Allen. My sweet Jarrett. Um, I compared him to Scream Three. This one, there was a lot of thought that went into this one. Okay, I love Jarrett. I also love Scream 3. Not as good as the others, but I’m never turning it off when it’s on. Um, it’s it’s a little campy at times, but that’s what makes it so likable. So, that’s Jared Allen. And for the fifth Cavalier now, I don’t know who would you put fifth for like best Cavs. Uh, I would have I mean, so I went over this on last week’s show and I had DeAndre Hunter at four and Jared Allen at five. So I would go DeAndre Hunter if you have him. Okay. Well, I didn’t put DeAndre Hunter. Then I would go Max Truce. I did do Max Truce. Um, Max Truce. Now, this is going to sound like unkind. It doesn’t I don’t mean it that way, but I I said not my favorite, but I understand the appeal and I love the passion. So, I compared him to Friday the 13th. Okay. Yeah, I could see that. Yeah, because I’ve seen Friday the 13th, but there is certainly a section of, you know, the Cavs fan base that has been rooting for DeAndre Hunter to take over the starting small forward spot for a long time. No, this is Max Struce. Yes. That’s why because Max Truce is not everyone’s favorite. Oh, okay. Gotcha. Yes, that’s ex. So, I totally get that. That makes sense. Yeah, that makes complete sense. Well, this has been this has been a blast. I’m glad that we did this. Um, if people like it, maybe we’ll do it more often. If not, I can promise you I didn’t put in my vows. Um, I can promise you we’ll do this at least once a year. So, maybe I’ll talk to you next year. Maybe I’ll talk to you before that. But Britney, thank you so much for doing this. very much appreciate the time on Locked on Cavs today. Thank you, Danny. And thank you for making Locked on Calavs your first listen today and every day. You can find the show anywhere you get your podcasts, Apple, Spotify, or anywhere else. Make sure to drop us a fivestar rating as we get out of here. Hit that thumbs up button on YouTube. Make sure you click subscribe and we will be back tomorrow talking more probably about the schedule for the Cleveland Cavaliers right here on Locked on Cavs.

On this episode of Locked On Cavs, Danny Cunningham (The Inside Shot, Cleveland Magazine, 92.3 The Fan) analyzes the 2025-2026 schedule announcements, discussing the implications of nationally televised games for the Cavs’ perceived standing in the Eastern Conference. Danny examines recent roster changes, including the Isaac Okoro trade and Lonzo Ball acquisition, and their potential impact on playoff performance. The episode features a special guest, Danny’s wife Brittany, who interviews him about his experience covering the Cavs and shares her unique fan perspective by comparing players to horror movies. This engaging mix of professional analysis and personal insights offers listeners a comprehensive look at the Cavs’ current status and future prospects in the NBA landscape.
Check out Danny’s Substack, The Inside Shot: https://theinsideshot.substack.com/
Email the show: LOCavsmailbag@gmail.com

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