Cavs Reportedly About To Make Big Offseason Mistake
By Cem Yolbulan
The Cleveland Cavaliers fired their head coach J.B. Bickerstaff after their loss to the Boston Celtics in the second round of the playoffs. This signaled that the team would undergo significant changes this offseason, including to key personnel.
The biggest question regarding the Cavs roster is what happens to the core four. The Darius Garland-Donovan Mitchell backcourt duo hasn't worked as well as hoped, and the Evan Mobley-Jarrett Allen frontcourt pairing has mostly failed offensively. Therefore, there is an expectation among the Cavs fanbase that at least one of these players will be moved this offseason.
In his latest piece for Yahoo Sports, NBA insider Jake Fischer provides an insight into what the Cavs front office is thinking. Reportedly, Cleveland is leaning towards keeping the Garland, Mitchell, Mobley, and Allen quartet together for another year.
Cavs News: Cleveland Mistakenly Keeping Core Four Together
The Cavaliers are showing willingness to keep their core four, per @JakeLFischer
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) May 31, 2024
“The Cavs don’t appear very motivated to listen to trade inquiries for any member of their core four, sources said, even with the possibility that Garland’s representation at Klutch Sports could… pic.twitter.com/5WyJCuk2Xh
This is a clear mistake. What this shows is that General Manager Koby Altman and the front office don't quite understand what the problem in Cleveland is.
"The Cavs don’t appear very motivated to listen to trade inquiries for any member of their core four, sources said, even with the possibility that Garland’s representation at Klutch Sports could move to request a trade if Mitchell extends long term."
- Jake Fischer, Yahoo Sports
The problem for the Cavs is the fact that this roster fits together poorly. Pairing two undersized guards in the backcourt creates defensive problems, and playing two non-shooting bigs at the same time creates offensive issues. The Cavs' four best players are two guards and two centers. That is not a winning formula. This team needs to balance out the roster and add more three-and-D role players and forwards.
Putting all the blame on Bickerstaff and thinking that this roster has a ceiling higher than the second round of the playoffs is delusional. Bickerstaff was able to get the most out of this faulty roster. So, even if the Cavs manage to get an elite head coach, it's hard to see them be a championship contender with this core.
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