Poll: Will The Cavs Make The Play-In Tournament?
From 2018/19 through 2020/21, the Cavaliers held a 60-159 record, a 27.4% win percentage, the worst in the league over those three seasons.
However, in year four of the post-LeBron James rebuild, things are looking bright in Cleveland. Despite having one of the most difficult schedules and losing Collin Sexton for the season after meniscus surgery, the Cavs are 13-11, good for seventh in the Eastern Conference.
After ranking between 25th and 30th in both offensive and defensive rating every season from 2018-21, the Cavs are now 19th in the league in offensive rating and fourth in defensive rating. East Rookie of the Month Evan Mobley, who missed four games with an elbow sprain, looks like a future star, according to Jazz coach Quin Snyder, as relayed by Kelsey Russo of The Athletic.
“He’s gonna be a star in this league really soon,” Snyder said. “He’s having star-quality games already. I think his versatility makes him. It’s a rare combination of size, length, quickness and skill.”
Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen have formed a dynamic pick-and-roll combination; both were nominees for Player of the Month honors in the East. Wing Cedi Osman has played well when healthy, shooting 42.9% from three. Ricky Rubio has thrived as a veteran leader for the young team, serving as a mentor to Garland and providing heady play on both ends. Sign-and-trade acquisition Lauri Markkanen, never known for defense, has bought into coach J.B. Bickerstaff‘s system and is competing hard defensively.
That’s the most impressive thing when watching Cleveland — the way in which all its players have bought into the system. The Cavs play hard every game, which you don’t see very often in a league with a long, 82-game season. Even during the team’s five-game losing streak in November, when it was very shorthanded, the healthy players were giving full effort.
Prior to the season, we ran our annual Over/Unders polls, and 50.5% of our readers predicted the Cavaliers to be under 26.5 wins. They’re already halfway to 26 wins through 24 games, so the over seems like a very safe bet at this point. However, the East is surprisingly deep this season; only three games separate the fourth seed (Miami, 14-10) from the 12th (Toronto, 11-13).
We want to know what you think. Will the Cavs make the Play-In Tournament? Make the playoffs outright as a top-six seed? Or be out of the playoff picture completely?
Vote in our pool, then head to the comment section to share your two cents!
Donovan Mitchell, DeMar DeRozan Named Players Of The Week
Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell and Bulls guard/forward DeMar DeRozan have been named the NBA’s Players of the Week for the Western Conference and Eastern Conference, respectively, the league announced today (Twitter link).
Mitchell’s Jazz and DeRozan’s Bulls were both 3-0 during the week of Nov. 29 — Dec. 5. Mitchell averaged 33.0 PPG, 5.7 APG, and 1.67 SPG with a 57.1/43.3/93.3 shooting line, while DeRozan put up 30.3 PPG, 5.7 RPG, and 4.0 APG while shooting 58.7% from the floor in wins over Charlotte, New York, and Brooklyn.
The other nominees for the awards were Nikola Jokic, Dejounte Murray, Jae’Sean Tate, and Christian Wood in the West, along with Jarrett Allen, Darius Garland, Kevin Durant, and Jayson Tatum in the East (via Twitter).
Central Notes: LaVine, DeRozan, Lonzo, Rubio, DiVincenzo
The 16-8 Bulls are off to a terrific start to the season, led by strong play from stars Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan. Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic writes that they looked like the best tandem in the league in road wins over the two New York teams on Nov. 2 and 4. DeRozan says the two players are relentless in their pursuit of success.
“A commitment that we talked about long before we even played on the court was just having each other’s back, being there for one another,” DeRozan said. “That’s all I needed to hear. That’s all he needed to hear from me. As long as we could walk, we’re going to be out there and try to lead this team to be as successful as we can.”
Here’s more from the Central Division:
- Within the same column, Mayberry notes that sign-and-trade acquisition Lonzo Ball has been inconsistent from game-to-game shooting from deep, but he doesn’t appear to lack confidence, which is key. Mayberry says the Bulls need the threat of Lonzo’s shooting in order to space the floor for DeRozan and LaVine. Overall, Ball is shooting a career-high 42.3% from three on 7.0 attempts per game.
- Ricky Rubio was initially displeased when he found out he was traded to the Cavaliers last summer, but he’s played a key role in the team’s surprising start and is happy with how things have worked out, according to Joe Vardon and Kelsey Russo of The Athletic. “In the past, I would get traded and get frustrated, like, ‘Oh I have to start over again in my role,'” Rubio said. “And I was frustrated because of my ego. But when you set your ego aside and you just make the best of the role that you have and take advantage of that, there’s no better thing to do on a team than everybody accepting what they have to do.”
- Fourth-year guard Donte DiVincenzo is nearing a return for the Bucks, per Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). DiVincenzo has been assigned to the Wisconsin Herd, Milwaukee’s G League affiliate, and Charania says DiVincenzo could make his season debut in December. He’s been recovering from left ankle surgery. DiVincenzo will be a restricted free agent this summer if the Bucks tender him a qualifying offer.
Bulls’ Javonte Green In Health And Safety Protocols
DECEMBER 4: Green has tested positive for COVID-19, tweets Tim Bontemps of ESPN. Coach Billy Donovan said Green has returned to Chicago.
DECEMBER 3: Bulls wing Javonte Green has entered the NBA’s COVID-19 health and safety protocols, according to K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago (via Twitter). Johnson notes that the Bulls have been testing daily after Coby White tested positive on Wednesday.
It’s unclear at this time whether Green tested positive as well. If he did, he’d be out for at least 10 days or until he returns two negative tests a minimum of 24 hours apart.
The 28-year-old Green has been an important member of the Bulls’ eighth-ranked defense. Through 23 games (12 starts), he holds averages of 5.4 PPG and 4.3 RPG in 20.6 MPG with a .495/.385/.750 shooting line. His counting stats may be modest, but they belie his impact. Green is often tasked with guarding the top scorers on opposing teams, usually at a size disadvantage.
In a separate tweet, Johnson relays that Alex Caruso is questionable for Saturday’s game against the Nets. The Bulls’ depth would be very limited if he’s unable to play, with White and Green already sidelined.
The Bulls currently sit with a 15-8 record on the season.
Additional Testing Required For Players Who Haven’t Received Booster By Dec. 17
Sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (via Twitter) that starting December 17, the NBA will require game-day testing for players who haven’t received a COVID-19 booster shot.
Charania adds that “tier one” team personnel who haven’t received the shot will will no long be able to interact with players, travel with their respective teams, or continue as tier one.
COVID-19 vaccines are required for team personnel, but not for players unless under a local mandate. This change only affects players who are fully vaccinated, as unvaccinated players have already been subject to additional testing.
Blazers Notes: Billups, Olshey, Roster Moves, Lillard, Eversley, Perry, Prince
In a fascinating piece released mere minutes before former president and general manager Neil Olshey was fired by the Trail Blazers, Jason Quick of The Athletic details how he views head coach Chauncey Billups as a poor schematic fit with Portland’s flawed roster — constructed by Olshey.
Even before star Damian Lillard was announced as being injured, it was clear that Portland was not functioning as a cohesive unit. Quite the opposite, in fact. Quick writes that the team had grown accustomed to ex-coach Terry Stotts‘ freedom on both ends of the court, and Billups wants to instill more structure and accountability, with a more aggressive defense and more ball movement on offense.
However, Billups’ stern exchanges have seemingly demoralized the group, and Quick asked Billups how he thought it was going over with the players.
“I think pretty good, but at the end of the day, it’s not easy,” Billups said. “It’s not easy all the time to hear when you are not doing what you are supposed to do, especially from the coach. All I care about is I believe we should play one way. I know what wins, I know what’s important. When we don’t do it, obviously I’m going to always bring it to the table, to those players, to those people. And I know it’s not always going to be well received.
“But I know it’s the best thing for the team, it’s the best thing for the player and at the end of the day, if you are mad or upset, if you actually really want to win and be a good teammate, you go home and think about that, look yourself in the mirror, and you are going to realize what I was saying was right, you know? With no agenda at all other than for us to try and get better. So, I can ride with that. That’s just kind of who I was as a player, who I am as a person, and I will be consistent there.”
Quick believes that while it is a talented group of players, the roster that Olshey built doesn’t make sense under Billups. He mentions the fact that the Blazers have three 6’3″ guards (Lillard, CJ McCollum, and Norman Powell) all starting, which leads to them being exploited defensively. Quick also says that Olshey’s infatuation with McCollum and refusal to trade him hurt the team. He thinks a roster shakeup is absolutely necessary in order to break the team out of its early season funk. The Blazers are currently 11-12.
It’s a great article from Quick and worth reading in full for subscribers of The Athletic.
Here’s more from Portland:
- ESPN’s Bobby Marks thinks the Blazers should explore trading Lillard (video link). He believes Lillard may have peaked as a player, pointing to his age (31), huge contract, and the high number of minutes he’s played over the years. Marks thinks it could be worth it to try and extract maximum value for Lillard before it’s too late. However, he acknowledges that the situation will be very tricky for whomever takes over the front office, as Lillard is one of the best players in franchise history.
- John Canzano of The Oregonian is happy the Blazers pulled the plug on the Olshey, and believes that it will galvanize the organization and fan base.
- Bulls general manager Marc Eversley and Knicks general manager Scott Perry are both candidates to replace Olshey as GM, according to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter).
- A source tells Quick of The Athletic that Grizzlies VP of basketball affairs Tayshaun Prince, who had previously been mentioned as a possible candidate to replace Olshey, is not in the running for the role (Twitter link).
Injury Notes: Adebayo, Jalen Green, Warren, McConnell, Towns, Porzingis
Heat star Bam Adebayo says he’s always been a positive person, but after learning of the thumb injury that will sideline him for roughly six weeks, he understandably had a tough day on Wednesday, Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald relays.
“I’m not the type of person that will put out negative energy. So I always think positive. But today was a downer,” Adebayo said after watching Wednesday’s lopsided loss to the Cavaliers. “But for these six weeks, I can’t change nothing about it. That’s my only option.”
Coach Erik Spoelstra says there’s no way to replace what Adebayo does for Miami and the team needs to weather the storm until it gets healthier.
“We need a little bit of time just to assess everything and formulate a new plan, a new direction,” Spoelstra said. “… Collectively as a group, we’ll make the necessary adjustments. When you lose an All-Star player, it’s never easy. But this is the league.
“When I look around the league, I see a lot of teams dealing with injuries and guys out and guys coming back. There’s a lot of that going on right now and we just have to weather the storm and recalibrate and figure out a new plan, new direction, which our guys are very capable of doing.”
Here are some more injury notes from around the NBA:
- Rockets coach Stephen Silas says rookie Jalen Green isn’t close to returning from his strained hamstring, according to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. “Nothing really new,” Silas said on Friday. “He is still injured. He is progressing in a good manner but slowly. We’re just going to continue to evaluate week-by-week. But he’s not going to play any time soon.”
- Pacers guard T.J. McConnell, who was previously said to be out “a while,” is wearing a cast and is now expected to be out for “weeks, not days” according to coach Rick Carlisle, the team announced (via Twitter). The Pacers also tweeted that T.J. Warren will not be playing in December, per Carlisle. He will have more scans on his foot at the end of month or in early January. Warren has yet to play a game this season after playing in just four games last season.
- Karl-Anthony Towns missed Friday’s game for the Timberwolves with a tailbone contusion, the team announced (Twitter link). Towns had a hard fall late Wednesday night. He did warm up for the game, which is a good sign that it should be a short-term injury.
- Mavericks big man Kristaps Porzingis was also sidelined for Friday’s game, per a team public relations announcement (via Twitter). He has a knee contusion. It’s unclear how long he might be out.
Bucks Sign Wesley Matthews, Waive Georgios Kalaitzakis
6:14pm: The Bucks have officially signed Matthews and requested waivers on Kalaitzakis, the team announced. Matthews’ contract is non-guaranteed, a source tells Eric Nehm of The Athletic (Twitter link).
4:07pm: The Bucks are signing veteran wing Wesley Matthews and waiving rookie forward Georgios Kalaitzakis in order to create a roster spot, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter links).
It’s another win-now move for the defending champions, who signed center DeMarcus Cousins on Tuesday. The Bucks will be on the hook for the guaranteed portion of Kalaitzakis’ salary — he has a partial guarantee of $462,629. However, he’s already earned a good chunk of that amount by this point in the season, which makes it a very understandable move from both a basketball and financial perspective.
Matthews, 35, is entering his 13th season in the NBA. This will be a reunion for both player and team, as he spent the 2019/20 season with the Bucks, starting all 67 games he appeared in with averages of 7.4 PPG and 2.5 RPG on .396/.364/.765 shooting (24.4 MPG). He played for the Lakers last season, appearing in 58 contests (19.5 MPG) while averaging 4.8 PPG and 1.6 RPG on .353/.335/.854 shooting.
Matthews was a top-tier 3-and-D player in the early part of his career prior to tearing his Achilles tendon in 2015. He’s never put up the same type of efficient offensive numbers since suffering the injury, but he’s still regarded as a good defensive player and is a highly respected veteran. In 849 career games (739 starts), he holds career averages of 12.6 PPG, 2.9 RPG, 2.1 APG, and 1.0 SPG on .421/.379/.824 shooting.
Kalaitzakis, the 60th pick in the 2021 draft, was signed to a partially guaranteed, three-year deal ahead of his rookie season. The Greece native appeared in nine games for the Bucks for a total of 48 minutes, putting up modest stats of 1.8 PPG and 0.9 RPG in 5.3 MPG. Evidently Milwaukee did not see enough from the 22-year-0ld to justify keeping him on a standard contract.
It’s very unlikely that he gets signed by a team with an open roster spot, as that list is comprised of either contending teams or teams right against the luxury tax, or both. Perhaps a two-way spot could be possible, but all 60 of those spots are taken right now, so that would require a team to waive a current two-way player. Kalaitzakis’ most realistic path back to the NBA is probably through the G League, but returning to Europe could be a viable possibility, too.
Rockets Notes: Wall, Mathews, Green, Augustin
The Rockets and John Wall are still trying to figure out the next steps in his possible return to the court, but David Aldridge of The Athletic believes that Wall needs to maximize his window of opportunity and accept any role the club is offering.
Aldridge acknowledges that coming off the bench for a Rockets team that has struggled to win games (currently 5-16) would be very difficult for a competitor like Wall, but he thinks the only way for the point guard to show his value to other teams is by proving his effectiveness on the court — no matter the minutes.
Other teams are still interested in Wall as a player, but not with the enormous amount of money remaining on his contract ($44.31MM this season and a $47.37MM player option next season).
“He’s still really good,” a GM texted Aldridge. “Just not at the number he currently makes.”
Aldridge thinks the trade market for Wall could develop in the summer of 2022, once he picks up his player option. A huge expiring contract could create cap flexibility in the summer of 2023 for a team looking to pursue free top agents.
Aldridge writes that Wall should look at Derrick Rose‘s path in order to revive his career. Both players were extremely athletic and unfortunately derailed by injuries, but after bouncing around for a few seasons on minimum deals, Rose was able to rebuild contractual value by becoming a more efficient scorer off the bench. The Knicks re-signed Rose to a three-year, $43.5MM ($28MM guaranteed) contract last summer.
It’s an interesting piece and worth checking out in full for any Athletic subscribers — Aldridge knows Wall very well and covered him for years in Washington.
Here’s more from Houston:
- Danielle Lerner of The Houston Chronicle explores shooting guard Garrison Mathews‘ journey to the NBA. The Tennessee native has averaged 16.3 PPG and 3.0 RPG on .568/.516/.778 shooting during Houston’s four-game winning streak.
- Number two overall pick Jalen Green may be sidelined at the moment, but if he’s been paying attention, it’s still an opportunity to learn and grow as a player, as Jerome Solomon of The Houston Chronicle details. The Rockets haven’t lost a game since Green was injured a week ago, so he’s been able to watch what it takes to win at the NBA level.
- Backup point guard D.J. Augustin has been cleared to play Friday night against the Magic, Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle writes. Augustin had been in the league’s health and safety protocols after COVID-19 a test came back inconclusive. Augustin is fully vaccinated, but his daughter contracted the virus and he was a close contact. Feigen writes that Augustin produced two negative tests 24 hours apart and thus was cleared to return.
Injury Notes: Towns, Butler, Morris, Warren, Wood, KPJ
Timberwolves star Karl-Anthony Towns hopefully avoided a major injury Wednesday night, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (via Twitter).
Towns fell on his lower back after slipping off the rim after a dunk. However, Woj says X-Rays on Towns’ lower back came back clean. We’ll have to wait and see if there’s an update from the team to determine if Towns might be sidelined.
Here are some more injury notes:
- Heat star Jimmy Butler (tailbone) missed his second consecutive game Wednesday night against the Cavs and it sounds like he could miss more time. Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel tweets that he’s likely to miss the back-to-back games Friday and Saturday against the Pacers and Bucks.
- Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra told reporters there’s still no update on Markieff Morris, who has now missed 12 games in a row with whiplash, per Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald (Twitter link).
- Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said that scans on T.J. Warren‘s foot had positive results, but there’s still no timeline for his return, the team announced (via Twitter).
- Rockets starters Christian Wood and Kevin Porter Jr. were both injured in Wednesday night’s game against the Thunder and did not return. Wood suffered a sprained ankle, while KPJ has a left thigh contusion, per Kelly Iko of The Athletic (Twitter link).