Donovan Mitchell, James Harden, & Cavs The NEW Favorite In The EAST?
Garrett Bush of The Barbershop is Joined by NBA Writer Greg Swartz of Thr Bleacher Report to talk the latest news from the Cleveland Cavaliers. G-Bush questions is Donovan Mitchell, James Harden, & Cavs The NEW Favorite In The EAST? The Eastern Conference just got a whole lot more interesting with James Harden joining the Cleveland Cavaliers. With this blockbuster move, are the Cavs now the team to beat in the East? Can Harden and the Cavs take down the likes of the Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks to claim the top spot? We break down the implications of this massive trade and what it means for the NBA playoffs. From Harden’s fit with the team to the potential lineup combinations, we dive into all the key factors that could make or break the Cavs’ championship hopes. Is this the start of a new era in Cleveland, or will other teams in the East have something to say about it? Watch to find out our take on the Cavs’ chances and the impact of James Harden’s arrival on the NBA landscape.
#NBA #CAVS #ClevelandCavs #CavsNews #NBANews
23 Comments
Please don't forget y'all got 2 of best choke artists.. TRASH š¤£š¤£
The harden disrespect has to stop the greatest team to ever exist is the only team that can even question harden skills and thatās the golden state warriors
I mean no disrespect G you the man but harden at 36 is the best on the squad, i was expecting the masses to be a lot more gracious than this i canāt blame harden if he feels some type of way
Nope
Harden 2nd best on the team
Harden is cool until he gets bored. I hope our team is the one that keeps him interested.
Iām offended that Tyson is not in that photo.
anyone saying that this current roster heading into the AS-break somehow puts the Cavs in a worse position than we were after the last 3 playoff appearance embarrassments is INSANE or just delusional.
1.) we got rid of JB after getting mopped by the Knicks in the first round of the 2022-23 playoffs followed by a 2nd round exit in the 2023-24 playoffs in which he was throughly out coached by Mosley and needed 7 games vs the Magic to advance to the 2nd round blitzkrieg via the Celtics (fair 1st move, and was the right decision.. kept the core 4 intact and brought in Kenny) & by the grace of God extended Spida.
2.) Cavs looked way better under Kenny but still lost in the 2nd round of the 2024-25 playoffs where it was seemingly Kenny, Spida, & Strus vs EVERYBODY in addition to DGs injury prone small frame ass starting to cripple lineups & we had to start making moves again (still kept core 4 intact)
3.) had to ditch LeVert during the 2024-25 season & grabbed Hunter who has never really found his groove consistently in CLE but at least pieces were beginning to be moved (core 4 still intact)
4.) absolutely couldnāt keep Okoro around.. he is a flat out bust for where he was selected in the Draft, gave the kid 5 years to prove it and never could & you took a chance on a trade for Lonzo instead heading into the 2025-26 season.. fine move (core 4 still intact)
5.) Lonzo & Hunter were not working out so you deal Hunter for Ellis & Schroeder (amazing move) & you deal Lonzo for cap space.. but itās now the deadline week and your current trajectory is looking like another potential playoff disappointment & DG canāt stay healthy once again either.. so what do you do? You aināt trading Spida or Mobley.. JA isnāt going to fetch a huge name in a trade return.. and DG is the odd man out.
6.) DG has had multiple opportunities to prove that a combo of him & Mitch with pieces around them could work, and he proved that it absolutely will not, on top of injuries again.. Clippers call and say we will send Harden (a 6ā5 PROVEN upper echelon player with an asterisk next to his name ONLY because of his lackluster playoff career) for DG who ALSO has an asterisk for the same reason.. except DG is 6ā2 and gets injured on top of that asterisk, so you make the move and donāt let DG hold you hostage down the line.
& so the outcome is that, on paper, you created a roster that is superior to the one you had for the last 3 playoff runs & finally cement with Mitchell once and for all that HE is the centerpiece of this franchise & that Gilbert is willing to learn from the mistakes he made during LBJs first stint in CLE.
The NBA is a WIN NOW league, do these moves guarantee us an NBA championship? Hell no. Not even close. But in a year where Haliburton & Tatum are seemingly out of the picture for the entirety of the 2025-26 season, the 2 star players of the last 2 teams that knocked you outta the playoffs, wonāt be participating.. it is a once in a decade chance for the Cavs to go all in on winning the East and then letting the basketball gods decide what happens in the NBA finals.
Not to mention these moves donāt equate to a championship or devastation of a franchise roster if we donāt win it all. I can live with trying & failingā¦ I canāt live with showboat DG once again forcing Spida to become Superman only to have him gas out by the end of a 2nd round exit & be right back to where we were when the season started. Regardless what happens with the Harden for DG deal long term.. it sets us up to make a real run at the LOāB trophy this season and Gilbert showing Spida āthis is your team and I am committed to getting you to that NBA finals appearanceā as well as shows the rest of the NBA/GMs/FAs & disgruntled upper echelon players that he is committed to bringing another LOāB trophy to CLE and that we are not your regular run of the mill small town market team, you can win here, we can pay you, and we are a hungry young team with a core of 3 all-stars in Spida, JA, & Mobley as our cornerstones.
Gianuss, running man; Knok him down SOMEBODY, ON THOSE DRIVES TO THE HOOP!ššššššššššš
That's just RICH Paul chatter….bottom line..Rich wants to get RICHER…He knew that DG was extension eligible now and that the CAVS wanted NO PART of paying him more$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ on top of that MAX! PERIOD!
They should give James 3yr deal or whenever he hits 39.I would let Strus sit out rest of the year. And start him next season. Rest for his foot is needed. I like Keon's potential.
Rich Paul is a loser. Cavs said they weren't going to trade Garland… but James Harden randomly became available and they couldn't pass this up. I didn't like the trade but so far, so good!!! Harden hopefully stays locked in. Bc we look good with him. Shout out to JA. Hea been BALLING since Mobley was hurt. Allen will never hunt his own shots but he should: proving again he's a top 7ish Center
New chokers in the East. You could bet your own life they will choke come the playoffs.
Naquan Tomlin, keon Ellis, Schroeder. This team looks unstoppable with these new guys
This guys miss the area where every james harden co star is not available through the playoffs the reason James always had failure in the playoff is that theirs no series where James harden played with a teammate that is available on the court this make harden
the only target of defenses that make harden run out of gas you cant fully criticize harden on that when he didnāt have a fair chance to compete with a team that is at least fully healthy thats why I hope that this cavs team is fully healthy on the playoffs
G.Bush is cooking, keep it up,T Bone from New Phila, ohš
They had to do something. Team wasnāt even winning 1 series before trade. Now gets at least a chance of winning a couple series.
Garland needs to recover for another year. You have to make a move
I don't think the Cavs mortgaged their future in trading Darius Garland. Tyrese Procter has a very bright future, he is 5 inches taller than Darius, he's better defensively, and a better outside shooter. He's not as quick or shifty as Darius but for the type of team the Cavs are he will be just fine, you watch. He was one of the team captains at Duke as a sophomore and that says a lot. Tyson has taken a huge step forward in his 2nd season and Procter has a great shot at doing the same.
Let me tell you something, Jarret Allen running around, dunking and screaming at refs, is a nasty opponent. He looks like a new man. I think the change in him is the most important thing going with us now. If we get a dominating JA in the playoffs the sky is the limit. Now imagine if we could get Evan to go feral too! Oh baby!
Dude had a take about Donovan Mitchell being a shorter player idc if he 5 foot 4 dude a baller big things come in small packagesā¦Go Cavs Go Browns Go Indians Go Buckeyes
In reality what was the ceiling if mitchell left anyway and Garland took full command of the backcourt? Weād be a perpetual early round exit for the next 10 years stuck in limbo. I donāt understand how anyone could be upset with a trade that is a clear upgrade for a minimum of 2 seasons that gives us a real shot of winning another chip. Weāve seen the core 4 piss themselves for 3 straight years. Hunter and DG were not saving us in the pacers series. They were shooting lights out and Garland was just going to get matchup hunted the same way Jerome was in that series. If it doesnāt work with Harden, at least we tried something new vs. running into the same wall for a 4th season in a row.
Rich Paul "it was my foresight and can't get into the particulars" Yeah OK Rich, you're such a Nostrodumbass.