CLEVELAND, Ohio – To himself as the Cavaliers gear up for the season opener Wednesday:
Question: How many wins will the Cavaliers win this season?
Answer: I usually hate that question.
Q: Why?
A: Regular season win numbers meant little when LeBron James was here. The Cavaliers needed enough numbers to make the playoffs. Even in LeBron’s first assignment, the regular season was pretty irrelevant after a few years.
Q.: When James wasn’t here?
A: Do you expect them to win 25, 28 or 32? who cares? They ended up losing over 50 people. The regular season also felt lame. Back then, it was all about lottery ping-pong balls.
Q: But now?
A: The turnaround, designed by Koby Altman and Mike Gansey’s front office and coach JB Bickerstaff and his staff, has been amazing. The 2021-22 season ended in a downer but finished 44-38. They were fun to watch. They were in playoff races. They were young and defensive. I loved that team.
Q: How was the forecast for 2021-22?
A: It was 32-50. I thought I was optimistic. At least it wasn’t the most ridiculous prediction I’ve ever made about the Cavaliers.
Q: What was it?
A: I’m not saying that. Embarrassing.
Q: You are taking an oath.
A: Oh boy. When James left for Miami in his summer of 2010, I predicted. Team finishes 46-36 without him.
Jamario Moon of the Cleveland Cavaliers was the next starting lineup for the Cavaliers after the departure of LeBron James in 2010.plain dealer
Q: Jamario Moon starting small forward after LeBron?
A: I got pissed off at things like Decision Show. I lost my mind.
Q: Do you know what they did in the 2010-11 season?
A: They had a record of 19-63. They lost a franchise record 26 times in a row.
Q: How did you predict James’ second exit in the 2018-19 season?
A: I’ll take the fifth.
Q.: What do you expect…
A: Kevin Love is back. They had Larry Nance Jr., Jordan Clarkson, Rodney Hood, Tristan Thompson and just about everyone on the 2018 team that lost in the finals.
Q: What do you expect…
A: I thought They would be 36-46.
Q: Was it?
A: (softly) 19-63.
Q: So 19-63 in 2018-19 was the same as 2010-11 – both the first seasons after LeBron left.
A: Is that a question?
Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell poses during Media Day at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on Sept. 26, 2022.John Kuntz, cleveland.com
Q: Just establish history. How many wins will this team have?
A: The Donovan Mitchell trade changed everything, at least in terms of raising expectations. As one NBA executive told me, “Cleveland made a big move on that trade and I would have done the same. You seize the moment.
Q: Cavaliers Lori Markkanen, Colin Sexton, Ochai Agbazi and an unsuspecting first-round pick in 2025, 2027 and 2029 will give Utah a three-time All-Star berth.
A: A player who has scored 28 career points in the playoffs and has three years left on his contract. The more I thought about this deal and talked to his NBA officials on other teams, the more I got excited about it. Mitchell wanted a trade to New York, he looked ready Hug Cleveland.
Q: On the court?
A: That’s what makes it interesting. Watching the preseason games, Darius Garland and Mitchell fused sooner than expected. They still have a lot of work to do. But they clearly want to play together. Mitchell is a better passer, ballhandler and defender than Collin Sexton. From some fans, what is the difference between this two players of his? Mitchell is physically strong.
Q: What are your predictions?
A: I like how Bickerstaff featured Garland and Mitchell in the backcourt.
Q: Still waiting…
A: Bickertsaff also said: People wouldn’t want to leave them open. it will help everyone. ”
Q: Please tell me the numbers.
A: This team has to stick to a defensive mindset. Two 7-footers, Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley, can defend. Mobley is on the verge of stardom. The defense should still be good, if not in the top five like last season.
Q: I’m really waiting now...
A: Bickerstaff calls this team “a work in progress and new and interesting dynamics.” It sounds like a plea for patience, but it is to some extent. But the talent is real, even if Bickerstaff is right when he says, “We’re not a finished product.”
Q: Last Chance…
A: The Cavaliers will finish 51-31 and win one round in the playoffs. The last time a Cavaliers team had at least 50 wins without James was in 1992-93, the last season coached by Lenny Wilkens.
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