Preseason Recap: Bulls 102, Cavs 101 (The Sexland Charade)
2021-10-11The Cavs lose a close one to the Chicago Bulls, 102-101 in a relatively thrilling preseason rematch that showed what’s possible for this year’s Cavs team. Let’s get right to the highlights of the game…
1. Starting Ricky Rubio and Lauri Markkanen a smashing success.
Since Darius Garland (illness) and Collin Sexton (injury) were unavailable, it gave Coach J.B. Bickerstaff the chance to experiment with Lauri Markkanen at the small forward position, which was successful in the limited stint last game against the Indiana Pacers. How did it fare against the Bulls, who humiliated the Cavs last Tuesday? It cannot be described as anything other than successful. Markkanen posted the highest net rating among starters by far (+21.6 in 26 minutes), shooting 8-14 for a team-high 18 points, and stuffed the stat sheet with four rebounds, three assists, three blocks, and two steals. In short, he was one of the best Cavaliers on the court tonight.
But Markkanen’s night would not have been possible without the heady play of Ricky Rubio at starting guard. While Rubio missed a lot of open shots (4-13 FGs), his ability to make good decisions with the ball (nine assists in only 17 minutes) allowed the Cavs’ offense to function. Rubio’s (and Kevin Pangos’) passing allowed the whole starting frontcourt to be productive and efficient offensively. The big and tall lineup with Rubio and Markkanen resulted in elite team defense (101.0 drtg) that held the Bulls’ offense over 20 points below their preseason average (126 points per game).
What the Rubio and Markkanen show exposed tonight was the charade of Sexland as a winning basketball proposition. They’ve been a disaster to start the preseason, and they haven’t demonstrated the desire to value the basketball, make good decisions, and be unselfish. The team has gone 41-96 since Sexland has been a thing. How long with charade continue? Only Koby and J.B. know and they aren’t telling.
2. Evan Mobley is a superstar
Look at this move:
Yep, @evanmobley is like that 🤩 pic.twitter.com/13JdssQKWp
— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) October 10, 2021
Mobley showed how he can impact every facet of the game, offensively and defensively. He turned in a tidy double-double (15 points, 10 rebounds) along with four assists, three blocks, and two steals and only one turnover. He’s going to win Defensive Player of the Year awards. He can compete for a Most Valuable Player award. The key to Evan’s continued growth is good guard play, hopefully J.B. obliges.
3. Quick shoutouts: Kevin Pangos and Lamar Stevens
The Gonzaga/EuroLeague product Kevin Pangos showed some gritty, heady play in backup point guard duty with six assists against three turnovers and a bench high +10 plus/minus. He hasn’t found his shooting stroke, but his passing really keyed Evan Mobley’s big second half of offense. Lamar Stevens deserves a shoutout for contributing to some lockdown defense this preseason. The Cavs are averaging an absurd 71.3 defensive rating while Stevens is on the court.
4. “We’ve not made our mind up… we’re evaluating all of this.”
This was said by J.B. after the game in response to cleveland.com’s Chris Fedor calling Rubio a “backup” point guard. It’s a tantalizing statement, perhaps an admission about how much better the team has looked this preseason with Rubio at the helm of the offense. It will be fascinating to see if Sexland struggles some more, how long will J.B. let it play out.
Evan Mobley and Ricky Rubio have completely changed the fortunes of the 2021-22 Cleveland Cavaliers. Their play has been so convincing that it’s no longer inconceivable, laughable that the Cavs could compete for a chance at the play-in tournament at the end of the season. Adding Lauri Markkanen and discovering his ability to play small forward allowed the Cavs to compete toe to toe tonight with a Bulls team that has substantially improved and should be expected to compete for a playoff spot. With Lauri, Mobley, and Allen, Bickerstaff has a starting front court that can sustain great defensive play and keep them in any game. Now the question remains, can J.B. do the same for the offense? The answers are coming.
live thread up if you want to hop on over
anyone interested in starting up the C:tb fantasy bball league? If we are doing it for the whole season probably needs to be set-up to draft this weekend because I think games begin next week!!!
hey, never set up a league before but i’ll try and take a look this weekend.
Awesome
Ed Davis signing is the quietest of all time.
He’s a quiet dude…
one interesting thing about the Sexton comps, that would put his extension around 22 million per year… essentially the same deal as Lonzo Ball.
I’d guess Sexton’s people are saying he should get Fox/Russell money but they’re much better passers than Sexton, they can actually be offensive hubs.
Seems like worst outcome is Sexton is a Buddy Hield/Gary Harris contract type of value, best outcome is something like Zach Lavine/Malcom Brogdon/Fred VanVleet type of value.
@ DanK OK, so I went back and looked at comparables at PG/SG to Sexton’s usage/efficiency, three best comps:
De’Aaron Fox, Jordan Clarkson, D’Angelo Russell
Nice!!! That’s actually a little better than I thought in terms of comps but I would rate Fox/Russell as better passers and JC of course knows his role. I do think a bench role has to be his long term role, just too many holes in his game IMO.
yeah, although a lot people are kind of down on Russell and Fox to a lesser degree.
Yup, Fox and Russell’s assist rates are more comparable to DG’s passing ability than Sexton’s.
Yup, and the JC comp is more similar in a vacuum, but his role and the quality of Utah’s roster makes that comp a little more shaky.
https://twitter.com/knarsu3/status/1448121075326459915?s=20
https://twitter.com/owenlhjphillips/status/1448278192423374852?s=20
also even though Cavs are ranked super low in their conference and even league wide…there really should be no reason for the goal NOT to be ‘play in’ tournament
Its quite possible Cavs put Sexton on bench, have Garland and Rubio with Markk Mobley and Allen as starters…they then have Sexton Okoro Windler as next three and possibly Pangos as better ball handler along with either Cedi/Lamar or they go even bigger with Tacko or just stick with Love at 4 or 5 depending on matchups. But yah quite enlightening from JB and honestly as I have written here before, Sexton would thrive off the bench and still provide the same scoring.
i think he will throw tantrums and hissy-fits.. young bull needs to be traded for some decent ball-handling veterans (who also have an outside shot) who are interested in making a difference on a young team.. this “go big, or go home” strategy may just work.. version 2 worked quite nicely against chicago in the 1 pt loss.. the pathetic version 1 team needs to be euthanized
When has Sexton ever thrown tantrums? Are you sure you’re not thinking of Love? I see all kinds of flaws with Young Bull’s game and his fit on this team, but you can’t knock his work ethic or commitment to this team.
if he is not a starter.. i like the young fellow.. also, just don’t think he will adjust to not being the center of the offense.. but those days are over.. time to trade him for a few vets they can sew up for a reasonable salary, who will feed the towers.. plus, he is NOT a max dude.. move him on, let someone else pay the freight
I agree we shouldn’t max him under any circumstances. I’d be curious to see, though, if he gripes if he’s made 6th man or if it just makes the chip on his shoulder bigger (in a good way) and gives him even more fire. At least worth trying, right, JB/Koby???
YB is kind of a wildcard. Obviously he cannot be the focus of an offense, and is nowhere near worth a max contract. OTOH, there is a good chance he can be highly effective as a high energy, come off the bench and put in a bunch of points, kind of guy; well worth a moderate contract. He has some good intangibles: hard working, no trouble, not a head case, great hair.
the cavs just need to trade him, to get some high-quality value in return, and avoid, at all costs, losing him to free agency and getting nothing in return.. someone will pay him the huge $$.. it cannot be the cavs.. trade him.. now
Anyone watch a lot of preseason games and have any observations on how the draft picks are doing?
the only one of importance is #3.. cavs were twice lucky.. getting the #3 pick, AND, not having koby f$ck it up..
No, only watched during summer league…. apparently Trey Murphy is a name to watch though from the most recent news I heard.
Mobley going to be a beast defensively. Jalen Green is going to score a lot for a rookie probably unless KPJ dominates the ball. Haven’t followed Cade.
Yup, insane how good Mobley is defensively… Cavs have a 99.2 drtg this preseason, which is even better than the 101 or so he posted in summer league!!!
Green seems like prohibitive ROY cuz everybody loves a bucket.
Cade’s been quiet, his ability to get to the rim and finish looks like a work in progress from summer league.
Scottie Barnes has looked good. Only question with him is the shot/ efficient scoring. He’s going to be really good either way, if he gets an efficient scoring game together in the next 2-3 years, he’ll be the best player in that draft.
One comp I heard for Scottie Barnes is Ben Simmons’ Jr. LMFAOOO
but obviously their mentalities are probably different!
Yeah, one guy really likes basketball. I’m betting on Barnes.
Cavs waive Broderic Thomas and Mfiondu Kabengele https://www.nba.com/cavaliers/releases/roster-update-211012 Kabengele was signed on a “three year contract” at the end of last year, which covered him for 2020-21, but is not guaranteed for 2021-22 and 22-23, as per Woj Thomas signed a two-way deal with the Cavs just under a month ago; will leave it for others to sort out his relationship going forward to Cavs’ G league club. I had not realised that Thomas was red-shirted at Truman State, so was affiliated to their club (the Bulldogs, I would have preferred the ‘Iron Curtains’) from 2015-2020. https://trumanbulldogs.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/brodric-thomas/4865 BTW nice points by worldbfree… Read more »
Roster news flash: Cavs waive Broderic Thomas and Mfiondu Kabengele https://www.nba.com/cavaliers/releases/roster-update-211012 Kabengele was signed on a “three year contract” at the end of last year, which covered him for 2020-21, but is not guaranteed for 2021-22 and 22-23, as per Woj https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1388234319924236293? Kabengele was drafted in the first round 2019 draft, #29 overall, from Florida State. Thomas was undrafted, from Truman State; he signed a two-way deal with the Cavs just under a month ago; will leave it for others to sort out his relationship going forward to Cavs’ G league club. I had not realised that Thomas was red-shirted… Read more »
Late to this party and largely echoing points others have made, but think it’s important that we separate DG and Sexton when thinking about this. “Sexland” is more a cute/dumb meme than a real thing after all, right? It’s been obvious from the start that they can’t share the backcourt due to size and (related) defensive limitations, but also to only so-so chemistry. Still, I think DG should still be our PG of the future. I love Rubio but he may not even be here at the end of the season, to say nothing of his free agency next summer.… Read more »
good points
Rubio said in the post game interview that the tall lineup was the best defensive lineup he’s every played with. Does he mean on the cavs or ever???
He said ever iirc,
Not many recent teams have been able to put the kind of athletic size/ length on the court as Mobley/ Allen together.
good point. I think Mobley will be a superstar VERY soon, and Allen can be very good in certain situations.
mobley is the future.. period.. sexland are yesterday’s news.. trade them both.. NOW.. ..get some seasoned, hungry vets who are team oriented.. not playing for the big $$.. neither part of sexland is worth the huge bump in salary they will demand, and likely get.. .
My goodness… Mobley is ridiculous:
https://twitter.com/JustEsBaraheni/status/1447395319059189763?s=20
Having a functional point guard changes everything.The other players are involved and it turns into better all around performance at both ends.Watching the team hand the reins to Sexland the last few yrs has been excruciating.DG has potential,but Sexton is a one dimensional chucker who needs to be used for that skill.Doing the same thing expecting different results is insanity.
so.. the takeaway is, obviously, trade both sexton AND garland.. package ’em both up and move ’em out.. [then chris stated “ just move them to the bench and make them earn it!!!].. my response was..none of these pampered multi-millionaire children (sexland) could accept the demotion.. they really would just become full-time check-cashers.. trade both of them and bring in some hungry brothers who have paid their dues, know their trade, “good, but not great” pros who are happy to play team bball and can help the multi-tower thing the cavs are trying to do.. sell them for the huge “potential”… Read more »
great recap and work as always Chris!!! the observations are spot on but we do need to pump the brakes here just a bit. A, this is still pre-season. B, we know what Rubio is at this point in his career (solid starter/first G off the bench). C, we still need more intel on Sexton and DG (though the jury is about to send in the verdict i fear). Lauri was great but not without his blemishes. To start the 3rd quarter, Derozan had 8 quick points, the first 6 of which were directly attacking Lauri. I like the jumbo… Read more »
Hey DanK thanks for reading!
I’m more sympathetic to the idea that DG has more to show… Sexton is who he is, and he isn’t a winning player, or a lead guard.
The Cavs’ defensive rating was 92.7 while Lauri was on the floor. I do think there will be specific matchups where he’ll struggle, but a tried and true fact of NBA basketball is that length = good defense.
Also, Lauri got him back pretty good by attacking DDR on defense!
IDK about CtB fantasy basketball, but I did hear rumblings????
am with you on DG, think he still has a lot to show. I also agree on Sexton for the most part, the thing i keep coming back to is his efficiency. most of the 6th man types have been more high-volume low efficient types but he is high-volume/solid efficiency. maybe he can just be a very good 6th man type to come in 20-25 minutes/game and pump in 20. with that said i do not trust this current Coach/GM to bench him like we are all saying so… here’s to another looooooong season!! Yes on Lauri’s length and also… Read more »
I think Sexton’s shooting efficiency is overstated a lot of times… he was an average efficiency scorer last year, his last three seasons per BBref (TS add stats): year 1: -104.4 year 2: -10.3 year 3: +3.7 I think a lot fans (not you of course LMFAO) haven’t fully grasped how NBA players are maximizing their efficiency in this day and age… and it’s particularly egregious with people who defend Sexton using priors that bear little relation to the game being played today. NBA average TS% last season: .572 Sexton’s TS% last season: .573 Happy Sexton’s improved, but the results… Read more »
Good work on those stats!!! About where I thought, solid, not spectacular. Does it take into account volume as well?
Hey just got off the road, will have to research
LMFAOOOo forgot that’s how you lost the championship!!! I can tell it burns ya!!!
WTFCLF—-REALLY USING THE “LEGENDARY NOMAD S” CAPS🤪🤪🤪—-STILL DOWN IN BEAUTIFUL NC ENJOYING ALL THE SITES/BEER 🍺🍺🍺🍺/WINE🍷🍷🍷🍷🤪🤪🤪🤪
Look I had to call CLF out, mainly due to concern he was breaking some kind of copyright law.
I definitely was!!! LMFAOOOOO
I forgot this was your vacation time NOMAD!!! Hope you’re having a blast!!!
So…. We are to drop Sexton and Garland for Pangos and Rubio? Scoring Made up by Lauri? This I’ve gotta see. I’ll be the first to say I was wrong, but Sexton can completely change a game by beating an all star lineup like the Nets two games in a row. I’m just thinking about a younger Rubio and KLove that couldn’t get near a playoff spot, but now that they are ready for social security, they’ll get the Cavs in the playoffs? Good bullet points and great talking points. I don’t think your nuts or anything. I just think… Read more »
Your point arguing against wholesale change is absolutely valid, but is your argument that Sexton as a starter and volume scorer will lead to the playoffs? If it isn’t then lineup changes must occur, and soon. The example of the Sexton dominating the Nets – that at the time could care less about defence – is probably not the right one to use. One performance was 25 pts, the other a career game which we have yet to see a repeat of. Yes he hit 39 against the Rockets, but that is the Rockets in the most unapologetic tank mode… Read more »
The clamor for Rubio and Love to be starting is less about making a push for the playoffs, and more about creating a stable/functioning team for the young guys to learn how to play in. It’s a total mess with Sexland dominating the ball, and sets everyone back. An entire starting line-up of first, second, and third year guys plus Jarret Allen as your most experienced player is doomed to fail.
Hi George, thanks for reading! I think you’re misconstruing what I’m saying. I never said bench Sexland for Pangos. I’m saying they need to be broken up from the starting lineup. I also didn’t say that Rubio and Love are getting the Cavs in the playoffs. I’m saying that starting more experienced, older players will help maximize Evan Mobley. In turn, I believe starting Rubio and Markkanen with Evan Mobley makes the Cavs competitive at the bottom of the conference, as opposed to a surefire lottery team with Sexland and Okoro starting. If you want to talk about one off… Read more »
about a dozen Mobley highlights from the game
https://twitter.com/CavsFRA/status/1447437734696652802
dammit I double posted!!! LMFAOOOO
I really love that JB has tried the big lineups. I think the nba is going to move towards bigger lineups with less scoring. the foul rules are going to tilt the game against the surfs
yup, question now is if he has the guts to stick with it… I was going absolutely nuts when Lauri took Derozan off the dribble for the slam!!!
I love the optimism, Chris, but we gotta see how this goes in the regular season. A lot of Mobley’s effectiveness was late against guys who are not nba rotation players. Sexton was similarly garbage in last year’s preseason too. My guess is the starting lineup stays early with pretty quick first substitutions.
For sure about seeing some success in the regular season… I’d disagree about Mobley dominating scrubs… Chicago played their core rotation for almost the whole game… letting up probably around the 6-7 minute mark in the fourth quarter. 4 out of the Bulls’ five starters played 30+ minutes, Caruso, Johnson, and Jones are part of the core rotation.
JB talked about Mobley just being more cognizant of the Bulls playing switch defense and exploiting mismatches.
Nice work Chris – – glad to hear Markkanen is sharp and effective – – on Sexland the “don’t believe the hype” refrain seems to fit – – here is hoping the Cavs can hold serve at home this year vs. Chicago, having Mobley as a versatile wrecking ball might help toward that end
Thanks Adam!!! Appreciate you reading and dropping in!
It’s hard not to be giddy about Mobley, and skittish about how J.B. handles the team LMFAOOO