Cavs: The Podcast Episode #292 (or, Free Agency Isn’t Free)
2023-07-06Good afternoon CtB!
Elijah Kim and Chris Francis snuck into the Cavs: The Podcast resort studios this week to recap a whirlwind two weeks of Cavs’ activity with the 2023 NBA Draft and NBA Free Agency. The Cavs drafted Emoni Bates as well as signing Craig Porter, Jr. and Pete Nance along with the reported free agency acquisitions of Max Strus, Georges Niang, Damian Jones, and Ty Jerome. Cavs: the Podcast Korean takeover has you covered with analysis on all of the Cavs’ moves, as well as an in-depth survey across the NBA landscape during this legal tampering period of the NBA schedule.
As always, listen below, download the full audio file, or listen on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher, TuneIn, or Spotify.
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Chris’s description of Craig Porter Jr, “he’s a dog” and “scoring was a problem for him”. Just made me think, uh oh… keep him away from JB. New Llama in town.
Damn BW, you’re right and that sucks!!! LMFAOOOOOOO
Eh. CPJ has a real jumper unlike Stevens. Unlike Cooper, Merrill, and Mobley, CPJ hasn’t played with many of these guys before AFAIK, and it’s gonna take him a minute to get acclimated. But CPJ finished well in college and his three was solid if not prolific. I think with his athleticism, hell be fine. He has outstanding timing on his leaping and Stocks are a great indicator of future success.
Even in a game he shot poorly, he still had 12/7/7 with 2 blocks & only 1 TO.
The UNDEFEATED Cleveland Cavaliers!
Final 99-76. Merrill got going some in the second half, Bates & Nance to a lesser degree. Mobes & Diop scoreless in the 2nd. Travers leads team in +/- with 1 FG.
TRAVERS —-LIKE MANY AUSSIES —ARE VERY FUNDAMENTALY SOUND —-GOOD BASKETBALL IQ ——GREAT HUSTLE/ TEAMMATE—-YEP KOBY /CAVS NEED TO SERIOUSLY THINK ABOUT PUTTING A”REGULAR “ CAVS UNIFORM ON HIM 👍
think he is signed for another year down under?
anyway, a year older when he starts will be a good thing.
That is two pretty impressive first halves of SL. Up 16 in this one. Diop (7/7/2) and Porter (8/3/1) more impactful. Cooper is shooting less (2 shots, 4 dimes). Bates & Merrill still cool from distance. Travers a +/- demigod (+13, 2nd on team).
Mobes is the star of the show. 15/5/2 (14 FTs) and game high +18.
Hope the 3rd quarter is better.
I agree with NOMAD & Raoul on Travers. I saw a not in one of Fedor’s pieces that he is under contract for another year in Australia. And expected to play there this year.
I guess that could change. In the future, I think he could take Wade’s spot if Dean does not develop. He is getting paid $7 mil. Which does not break the cap, but if he isn’t in the rotation…..
If Travers develops a reliabe spot up jumper, lookout.
His contract in the NBL will have a clause re NBA – if he gets called up, he is gone.
Just reached end of pod – crazy story, Eli!!!
WTF?
In season tournament?
is this a joke?
MLB draft: bet the Guards draft someone named Myles
AGREE WORLD BE —–TRAVERS IS A ” BIGGER SIZE ‘ DELLY WITH MORE SKILLS —-KOBY// CAVS REALLY NEED TO SERIOUSLY THINK ABOUT A ROSTER SPOT ON THE CAVS —IS THE CAVS WEAK LINK RIGHT NOW
agree. absolutely next year if not this year. that is looking like a great pick.
a “bigger Delly, with more skills” — wow! Remember Delly with LeBron doing a post game interview after a playoff win.
I like Merrill a lot but he is going to lose his shot at the team now that we have Max and Georges. Bates should play all season with the Charge, go beast mode in the weight room, and work to be ready for a shot at the big show in 24-25. Isaiah is solid. Ready for the NBA but with a relatively low ceiling, I think. To me, it’s all about Travers. Don’t know why he isn’t on the Cavs roster right now. At very least as a two way. He’s exactly the kind of player who Miami would… Read more »
THINK TRAVERES IS THE MOST NBA READY —-BASKETBALL IQ / PHYSICAL / SKILL LEVEL
He was 87kg three years ago, now closing in on 100kg. Ball handling has improved, and his vision has always been sound. Intriguing prospect.
Have to agree with Eli re: Mavs. They are in a much better position after trades.
23 – 24 Cavs are undefeated !
good analysis everyone!
Fun to see the boys in action again. Not sure about his future but Bates is an interesting player and played like he wanted it. Merrill ending up with 5 assists is nice — seemed to be working on trying to facilitate, though he was feeling self conscious about the turnovers in his little interview.
Good times!
Merrill: 15/10/5 in 32 min
Travers was +21. Nobody else was even +10. Bates scored 16 points (smile emoji) on 18 shots (single tear emoji). Cooper with 27 points and 1 assist. He was -3
Bates might be a player, just needs maybe a decade or 2 in the G League
Hey. Hell be fin to watch there.
Yeah I was not having fun watching him in that first quarter, only makes were off rhythm dribbles to nowhere
Mobley, and Cooper looked polished. I like Travers.
Travers looks like he’s bulked a bit.
Yeah. Got some broad shoulders. Could put a lot of muscle on that frame.
Yeah, he was a lot bulkier than I remembered from last year. I think Cooper looked themost polished. Mobley well rounded, & Travers. Merrill started strong & faded. Bates & Porter & Nance are younger and not as far along. Diop has a way to go. Nice size, though.
SL is always gonna favor guard types.
Cooper has nice touch but he’s just not a PG. I don’t think you can be that short in the NBA if you can’t be an effective distributor.
That’s my expert analysis from watching 20 mins of summer league.
Man, I forget every year, but good lord the guard play in Summer League is so horrible. Travers and Mobley look and move like professional players. Great floor games from both so far.
Travers ,nose for the ball,cuts,follows,right place a lot of the time.
Exactly. Active hands on defense and just seems to know where to stand which puts him ahead of 95% of summer league players.
Best guess starting lineup:
Cooper, Merrill, Bates, Mobley, Diop.
Though I could also see CPJ at point, Travers starting, and/or us only olaying with one big and Nance at PF.
Other than Cedric Henderson being the sin of former Cav Cedric Henderson,,IDK know much about the ithers in the roster: Bothwell, White, & Green.
HOPING ONE OF EITHER BATES/ TAVERES/ DIOP HAVE A ‘ MONSTER ” SUMMER LEAGUE—GIVING CAVS SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT OR ‘ ELDER ” MOBES AND ” 3RD ” NANCE
I like the idea of doing more with Okoro as maybe a roll guy with a smaller lineup
Roster update:
Bates is the 3rd 2-way.
https://www.nba.com/cavaliers/news/releases-two-way-signings-230707
Starters: DG, DM, Strus, EM, JA
2nd unit: Rubio, LeVert, Okoro, Niang, Jones
3rd Unit: Jerome, Merrill, ???, Wade, ???
2 ways: Porter Jr, Bates, I. Mobley
LeVert, Strus, Niang, and Jerome deals all official. No details on what mechanism we used to sign Jerome. Who , as you guys adroitly pointed out, makes a smidge more than the vet min.
We could use part of our remainig TPE ($4.1 mil), part of the Agbaji trade exception ($3.9 mil) or part of the bi-annual trade exception to do it. New CBA is fuzzy to me, I think that is still correct.
Jones deal not official yet. But the Strus deal is done, not wrapped into anything else.
A sad note from the world of women’s hoops. Nikki McCray-Pendon died today at the age of 51. Hall of Famer. Olympic Gold medalist in 1996 & 2000. 1997 ABL MVP & Champion with the Columbus Quest. WNBA 3x all star.
Rest in power, Nikki.
I would not mind Danny Green for the minimum.
Starters: DG, DM, Strus, EM, JA
2nd Unit: Rubio, LeVert, Okoro, Niang, Jones
3rd Unit: Jerome, Merrill, ???, Wade, ???
2 ways: CPJ, ???, I. Mobley
3-4 question marks, depending on Merrill. Bates takes one. Gotta hold onto that lottery ticket. I’d be fine with Green as another.
I’m excited to see what leaning into the catch-and-shoot model that SoG smartly identifies as the Cavs’ strategy behind the signings. In theory, it should be the game changer for an offense that was surprisingly stagnant given DG and DM’s penetration skills. But yeah, I wish we’d also found guys with more toughness and physicality. I’m a huge supporter of the Cavs’ dedication to building a culture of accountability and decency — never wanted Dillon Brooks or Miles Bridges, for example — but there are plenty of guys out there who are classy and play with fire, toughness. We’re still… Read more »
Cavs were dead last in catch and shoot attempts last year. They were 16th in 2022. They were 7th in pull up attempts last year (no surprise there) and 25th in 2022. I’m not really sure if there is meaningful correlation between catch and shoot volume and team success. The top 4 teams last year were GS, Boston, Milwaukee, and Sacramento but after that it becomes a mixed bag. For instance Denver was only 26th in pull-ups and 25th in 3PA overall (just behind the Cavs). Not really sure there are any conclusions there lol. I will say the Cavs… Read more »
Allen and Mitchell and Okoro are tough as nails. Don’t let the smiles fool you. Allen was a beast
I want no part of Christian Wood.
Just breaking down our roster by 3PT/corner %s. Volume is a factor for some.
DG: 41.1/37.8
Spida: 38.6/38.2
Strus: 35.0/46.1
E. Mobley: 21.6/19.5
Allen: 10.0/00.0
—————–
Rubio: 25.6/30.6
LeVert: 39.2/41.3
Okoro: 36.3/37.7
Niang: 40.1/53.4
Jones: 55.8/69.2
————–
Jerome: 38.9/52.4
Merrill: 27.8/0.00
Wade: 35.4/40.4
————-
I. Mobley: 37.5/100
——–
Green: 44.8/50.0
I’d note that Niang & Jerome were both over 50% and Strus was over 45% from the corners. On tiny volume Jones was 69.2%.
Of our returning guys, no one was over 45%, and only LeVert (41.3%) and Wade (40.4%) were over 40%.
Of the rotation guys, Cedi was our best at 43.0% from the corner. Love was 42.9%. Green made 50% on very limited volume.
Good pod.
Agree on the frustration with another 6’5″ SF and with JB not sticking with Okoro.
Niang & Strus both stink on D. Though both were rotation players on teams that made deep runs.
Niang was 40.1% in threes on 53.4% from the corner. He is a 6 year vet. 30 years old.
I like Lyles, too. Two inches taller than Niang. Two years younger. 36.3%from deep. 43.5% from the corner. I do not think he was on the table.
That is good info on Strus’ shooting/shot quality. Though I wonder if he can distinguish a good shot from a poor one. If yes, his #’s/%’s should go up. 46.1% from the corner.
I am with you on Grant Williams (39.5%, 42.1% from the corner). I like that deal better. Though he is a reserve. Torrey Craig was my 3&D guy (39.5%, 45.0% from the corner). Craig signed for vet min-ish. Older guy, though.
Also agree that we got one-trick ponies. Din’t think Reeves or Jones or Lyles were ever really available.
The point about having the all around guys (LeVert, Mobley, Rubio, Wade) and lacking shooters is valid.
I do like Jerome as Rubio insurance. Upgrade from Neto in terms of shooting. Decent size. Can defend some 2 sometimes.
There are indeed 3 2-way spots. CPJ + I Mobes + 1. I’d expect the 3rd spot to go to a wing or forward (Bates, Nance, Travers).
Though I guess it might depend on how the final few roster spots shake out.
I like but don’t love the off-season so far. Should be in for another good Cavs team that will depend on the litmus test of the playoffs. Think Strus starts or is it Isaac?
Yup agreed DanK, we’ve reached the point of raised expectations… I think Strus/Okoro is the litmus test to see if JB’s learned anything about last year. Can’t waste a whole regular season using a starting lineup you abandon two games into the playoffs. Also can’t run a lineup out there with three non-shooter IDGAF what Okoro’s stats are, the eye test doesn’t lie.
IDGAF ! just learned a new word!
Nice a podcast! I’ll give it a listen.
Yes sir, saw your post and had to deliver!
I saw this post about a Llama and you know the first thing I thought of was CTB and Lamar lol.. horrible:
https://www.facebook.com/1004010021/posts/pfbid0qQeNvjnL6t1gbAh5htZ5zLzu9caToSzohPCjcJmULYEanaxSShYMTtKUAaqcpBK9l/?mibextid=cr9u03
Lamar Stevens enjoying his offseason I see!!!! LMFAOOOOOO
One thing funny I noticed was that the Spurs were the 3rd team in the Strus deal with Miami, and also the Celtics/Mavs deal for Grant Williams. I REALLY liked Williams as a potential FA. Figured he was out of our price range. I think it is fair to question of paying a (another) reserve $16 mil a year (LeVert). So I get prioritizing the guy who is a likely starter (Strus). But I think Williams gives you considerably more than Niang (not as good a shooter, but 39.5% from 3, better D). And I am not sure Strus is… Read more »
Yup, fair to wonder about whether the Cavs should’ve done the reverse (sign and trade for a 4, band aid a 3), given that there were a few more S and T options at the 4 than at the 3.
I kind of wanted Williams too. But it’s apparent to me the Cavs really wanted to go after pure catch and shoot guys. Like I said earlier, Strus was 4th in catch and shoot attempts and Niang was 12th. Previous year, Niang was 13th and Strus was 14th. Williams was @80th both years. Niang and Strus both take twice as many catch and shoot 3s per game. I’m not sure it was the best strategy, but I think the Cavs have certainly improved their spacing issues. We’ll see if JB can scheme the offense properly around his new weapons. I… Read more »
Yeah volume matters. Also Okoros development takes him to being more of a Williams type (albeit he guards 1-3 and Williams guards 3-5) than a Strus type so you have to think of ways to avoid duplication between internal development and outside FA signings
I hear you. And you are undoubtedly correct about the Cavs’ strategy. We wanted shooters, not half a shooter.
But for me, the diagnosis for our postseason ills was more than just lacking shooting. It was lacking shooting + toughness (rebounding & mental). And some poor defensive scheming. We got better shooting (Niang & Jerome, and a volume guy on Strus), not sure the other is much better. Worse, actually, minus Stevens.
Toughness is bred from experience and preparation. Scheming is gonna happen.
Michael Jordan himself was a wimp for years until…1989 maybe?