Cavs: Team should avoid making major trades amid early success

The Cavs may be under .500 at the moment but their early success should be a sign to hold off on making any major trades for now.

The Cavs started off pretty fast, going 4-2 and absolutely shocking fans. They’ve gone 1-4 since however, and some believe this is who they are. Except, that’s not true. These Cavs have been besieged by injuries and illnesses at an unfathomable rate and still, rank at the top of the league in defense. This team needs offense, but it’s not like they’re not going to get it. Collin Sexton has missed three games and should return on Tuesday against the Jazz. Kevin Love is two-weeks away from returning, and the team is still waiting on Darius Garland and Dylan Windler to get healthy. Those guys will all boost the team’s offense and with the way the team defense is playing, this could very easily be a playoff team.

You’ll also soon have the return of Dante Exum to the lineup, and his defense has been stellar this year. With the offseason additions of Isaac Okoro and Javale McGee, this Cavs team looks really good, especially because these pieces all fit so well in the master plan of head coach J.B. Bickerstaff. While there are still concerns about Okoro’s shooting, (.29% from 3-point), his defense has been amazing and his ability to score in transition is a nice addition to the team.

The big issue, however, will be Garland, who’s been absolutely awful on defense. The Cavs may need to move on from Garland at some point if he doesn’t get better defensively because the team won’t move on from Sexton, who’s almost as ineffective on defense. Sexton wakes up scoring, so his coach says, and this team is in need of stellar offensive output. Yet, them playing together could be a problem for the team, who’s really been surviving on their defense. If the “Heart + Hustle” Cavs look to be this generation’s “Grit and Grind ” Grizzlies, they need to shore up that backcourt.

So if someone had to go it’d be Garland.

That said, the answer to the defensive starting-five may not be moving on from Garland but putting him on the bench. This team doesn’t really need to trade anyone (besides Kevin Porter), they just need to figure out their rotation when everyone is back. Guys like Larry Nance, McGee, Okoro, Andre Drummond, and Cedi Osman have really been stellar in their roles, but since the rash of injuries, the bench has been gutted. So the current starters are playing nearly 40-minutes a game, and when they’re off the court, the team has no scoring ability.

This team deserves a chance to see what it could be when they’re fully healthy, and not worry about getting traded. All the pieces may be here, they may just need time to develop. After all, Bickerstaff has been fantastic with a team made up of ten-day contracts and G-league deals.

So imagine what this team could do if you give them a chance to actually make some noise. Stay the course for a while, this may just be a magical season yet.