In the aftermath of last season’s embarrassing playoff defeat against New York, the Cleveland Cavaliers entered this campaign with a goal to prove themselves as contenders in the East. Instead, their show of mediocrity has continued and rumblings around the league indicate a strong level of concern regarding their short-term future.
“I have no idea what the hell is going on there, but it ain’t good,” a source told Steve Bulpett on the Cavs. “They’ve got real talent, but you could just see it early in the series that they had no confidence in one another. Just no swagger. Even in front of their home crowd. Nothing.”
Donovan Mitchell has been holding his own offensively, but the team has lacked an identity since their first-round elimination in April. At 13-12 through the first 25 games, the Cavs have failed to generate any traction this season and there are no signs of a drastic turnaround anytime soon. On Friday, the Cavaliers got arguably their biggest blow yet when their starting point guard, Darius Garland, was ruled out for the next four weeks with a fractured jaw.
A Dire Situation In The Land
The Cavaliers were a feel-good story last season when Donovan Mitchell led them to the fourth-best record in the East. Throughout last season, fans and experts raved about their defense, which was anchored by frontcourt stars Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen. This time, despite the addition of sharpshooter Max Strus to their core, the Cavaliers have been noticeably worse on both ends of the floor. Friday’s loss to the Celtics marked their third straight defeat and their fifth in the last 10 games.
With last year’s playoff defeat lingering, this team lacks the confidence to hang with the contenders, and their status as a mid-level play-in team is becoming clearer by the day. The job of GM Mike Gansey now is to figure out which players need to stay and which need to go to salvage what’s left of the Donovan Mitchell era. For a player of his caliber, he deserves to compete for a title and the Cavs owe to him, and their fans, to give it one last run before he cuts loose as a free agent.
Donovan Mitchell Watch Continues
Donovan Mitchell growing sour on the Cavs is probably the worst-kept secret in the league at this point. Pretty much since his arrival, it’s been known that Cleveland is not his preferred city of choice and it’s why teams like the Knicks, Lakers, and Miami Heat have been keeping tabs on his situation. Even the Brooklyn Nets have emerged as a potential trade candidate. For now, Mitchell is still locked into his contract with the Cavaliers but if things get too ugly, he could change his tune and follow in the footsteps of stars like James Harden and Damian Lillard.
Mitchell, 27, has yet to reach the heights of those generational talents but there is no question that he has the potential to get there in the right situation. Last season, arguably the best of his career, Mitchell averaged 28.3 points, 4.4 assists, and 4.3 rebounds per game on 48% shooting. He put on a show all season in Cleveland, including a historic 71-point game against the Chicago Bulls in January.
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