4 Cavaliers on Thin Ice Heading Into the Playoffs
By Cem Yolbulan
4. Koby Altman
If the Cleveland Cavaliers disappoint in the playoffs again, it will be difficult to only blame the head coach and the players.
It is the general manager who built this roster, after all.
Cavs GM Koby Altman has generally done a decent job so far. Drafting Evan Mobley and Darius Garland, trading for Donovan Mitchell, and locking Jarrett Allen up to a team-friendly contract are all excellent moves that helped return this team to the playoffs in the post-Lebron James era.
However, the Cavs need to show that they are better than a nice regular-season team that makes a habit of first-round exits.
Koby Altman made some moves to bolster the roster last offseason, adding Max Strus and Georges Niang to the rotation. Strus has especially worked out well but the team has bigger problems than that.
The Cavaliers have failed to find reliable three-and-D players in the Altman era. They haven't had a two-way starting forward for the last few years. Considering how important the small forward and power forward positions are in the NBA, starting another season without any was a huge risk.
Building your entire team on two small guards and two big men is a risky proposition. It is not the type of roster construction we see from other NBA teams. If you are willing to take a risk like that, you need to be willing to live with the consequences.
If this experiment fails and the Cavs lose again, it could understandably signal the end of the Koby Altman era.
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