Cavs jump astonishing 8 spots in NBA power rankings in 1st week
The Cavs jumped an astonishing 8 spots in the latest NBA Power Rankings.
The NBA season is a week old, and the Cavs a surprising 3-0. Their roster screamed worst team in the league and many pundits agreed.
ESPN ranked Cleveland No. 30 in its power rankings, but the four-letter network has since bumped the Cavs up eight spots to No. 22.
Notably, the Cavs knocked off the 76ers by 24 points, albeit Philly was without Joel Embiid. The franchise also picked up wins against Orlando in the season opener, while also scooting past Detroit in double overtime.
Cleveland is 3-0 for the first time since 2016-2017 without Kevin Love, who will undergo an MRI for a strained right calf this week.
The Cavs are ranked higher than the Grizzlies, Warriors and Wizards, while trailing the Kings (20) and Timberwolves (21).
1. Notably, the Cavs are getting a stellar effort from Collin Sexton, who’s averaging 27 points per game. Second-year veteran Darius Garland is even filing the stat sheet with 19.0 points per game ,as well 8.3 assists per contest.
2. There were serious concerns about Garland’s court vision as a rookie, and by the way he’s playing, you’d think the Cavs emphasized passing to the player who averaged 3.9 assists per night in a rather unspectacular rookie campaign.
3. At this point, doesn’t Andre Drummond have more trade value than Kevin Love? He’s averaging 20 points and 14 rebounds per night. His contract comes off the books after this season. Love couldn’t make it through the second quarter of Game No. 2 before his right calf started getting cranky.
4. A little disturbing to see Isaac Okoro score zero in 42 minutes against Detroit. The rookie didn’t play in Game No. 3 against Philly, sitting out with a strained left foot.
5. Larry Nance’s value continues to rise. He started in place of Okoro at small forward and played great, scoring 13 and doling out five assists. Meanwhile, Cedi Osman, who is coming off the bench, played splendidly as a reserve, scoring 14 points.
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6. Will this last? Who cares? The Cavs aren’t going to to the Finals this year, but a sign the organization’s rebuild is headed in the right direction is badly needed.