Podcap: Cleveland 113, Philadelphia 85 (or, The Guy in the Gold Jacket)
2022-12-02Sure the Cavs might have kicked butt in Philly Wednesday due to superior shooting, lockdown defense, and a sleepwalking Sixer squad, but we all know the real reason was the man in the building, our own Elijah Kim. At the quarter pole of the season, Eli joined Nate Smith and Chris Francis in the podcast booth to talk about the differences he saw seeing the game in person, the last couple weeks, couture sweat suits, lineup data, rotations, JB, dawgs, dogs, and his upcoming sideline game where he’ll be donning the undefeated gold jacket. It’s a raucous ride full of laughs and insight.
Listen below, download the full audio file, or listen on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher, TuneIn, or Spotify.
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Agree with the sentiment about Caris; if you move him, who replaces the versatility he’s provided? He was our starting SG to start the season and then moved to SF and now he’s all over the floor. I can hear what is being said about the efficiency numbers, but are we controlling for the overall picture where he’s a plus in certain situations vs ‘not as much as a minus’ in situations where he’s not ideal for, but can be that fill in guy for a short spurt in multiple lineups. I think that’s important in the discussion especially as… Read more »
The Cavs will be at an interesting cross road when Rubio returns. While I’m pretty guarded with my expectations for him coming back at the level he was at, assuming he’s healthy enough to earn regular minutes, you have to wonder where that leaves Caris. Fedor hinted on his most recent podcast that he could become trade bait for this reason (with his trade value mostly hinging on being an expiring contract).
Expanding on what Fedor’s point was: Caris is most effective with the ball in his hands. The Cavs are trying to stagger Garland and Mitchell to cover the full game. We know Rubio has a history of playing great with both of them. Where are the minutes going to come from to allow Caris to be at his best?
Assuming full health, they should come from Stevens, Okoro, and Neto in some form or fashion.
2nd unit of:
PG Rubio
SG Caris
SF Cedi
PF Diakite/Stevens
C Love
That lineup is all switchable defensively except Love and has two great shooters, two great passers, and junkyard dawg in Diakite (or Stevens) to do the dirty work.
Or could actually even include Okoro at the 4, which seems to be what JB’s doing with him now to great success.
bbref has Okoro at the 3 more than last season, and double the minutes at PF, but it’s only 1% to 2% LMFAOOO not sure where they’re pulling those stats, presumably court tracking.
That’s reasonable, but like I said, my bet would be they still want to keep either Mitchell or Garland out there for as much as possible. Maybe your lineup works so well that you don’t have to force that split, who knows. It’s all theory now, but those conversations have to be happening. I think ideally they could turn that expiring in to a more playoff starter worthy option at the 3 (wishful damn thinking, I know, but Koby’s a trade wizard so… a boy can dream).
yeah that’s goes without saying, also the reality is Rubio’s a theoretical at this point, so there’s plenty of Caris minutes to go around. And relatedly, no one who’s advocating for trades has come up with one that the Cavs should be remotely interested in LMFAOOO
For sure regarding Rubio. But Koby’s a shark for teams looking to dump a contract, which those are harder to predict. Never know when something might pop up. And to be clear, I’m not lobbying for Caris to be shipped. I just see the logic that he has something of value in a trade in that expiring contract, and his fit is the most expendable. That said, I do think the Cavs can use him and will need him at plenty of points.
Yeah I’d disagree that he’s expendable or the “doesn’t fit.” The team performs better with Caris than without him:
+15 with Caris/DM
+13 with Caris/DG
+11 with Caris by himself
+10 with DG by himself
+7 with Spida by himself
+2 with Spida/DG
Caris is a classic case where fans refuse to separate the individual results from the team results. Trading Caris would be bozo shit, hopefully Koby’s better than that.
Fit might not be the right word, They’re not getting rid of Darius or Mitchell any time soon. They have an area of need at the 3. They aren’t likely getting much return on anyone other than Caris or Love, and I think Love is more entrenched on this team. I meant it in the same sense that Lauri was expendable, someone who I really wanted to see stick around but understood the team would likely have to sacrifice him to get better at some point.
For sure, which is fine but again, who’s the better option? Is KD coming to Cleveland, okay fine LMFAOOOOO Trade machines for Bojan Bodganovic or Harrison Barnes?? Hard pass.
Yeah. Not saying there’s a high percentage of it. But also, there might be someone non-traditional out there that could be an upgrade, a la Lauri. The Cavs are savvy with their assets, and the window to improve now is narrowing. That’s why I think if an opportunity arises, non-core members beware.
Nate has evolved from abandoning the JYD award altogether to starting a campaign for an inanimate object to receive it.
LMFAOOOOOOOOOOOO great post BW!!!!!! Nate likes to keep everyone on their toes!
Lol. I’m nothing if not consistent.
I think it shows an open-mindedness that we could all learn from.
Also Stevens is PROBABLE
Uncle Kevin wants to join in on the fun!!!
I WANT THAT JACKET :-)
Only 21 years old!
Time for Ice to get his Killian on!!!
Ice is definitely trending in the right direction!