CLEVELAND — Even with the NBA trade deadline approaching Thursday, the Cavaliers could very well be in the same situation as they are today. One source familiar with their plans told me Monday night that they are not expected to be active this week, and that's not a bad thing. This team is a viable threat in the Eastern Conference and has earned the right to see how far they can go with their current setup.
By the time April rolls around, all the injuries the Cavaliers have endured may be considered a blessing. Every team has to overcome various forms of adversity at certain junctures in the season, and this team has certainly endured its share. However, an injury forced coach JB Bickerstaff to the bench. Along the way, he discovered the talent of Sam Merrill, a player so good that Bickerstaff couldn't keep him out of the rotation.
Bickerstaff ideally prefers to play with nine, but which reserves will he take out now? Caris Levert? Georges Niang? Dean Wade? Is Isaac Okoro hitting up to 39 percent on catch-and-shoot 3s?
Merrill seemed to be the most vulnerable, so before Monday's 136-110 win against the Sacramento Kings, I asked JB if Merrill would be eligible if everyone was healthy and there was no time limit.
“It's hard for me to sit here and say he hasn't earned it,” Bickerstaff said. “I don’t like having 10 players (in the rotation), but they’re getting it.”
So it's going to remain, this is a good problem for coaches to solve, and it's important to note that Bickerstaff looked down on the bench in a playoff series against the New York Knicks last year and needed a search warrant to find something viable. This is very different from the problem I faced when I did this. Archer.
What are the obvious benefits of playing 10? Keep track of minutes for everyone involved. Donovan Mitchell is still hovering around 35 minutes, and that number could probably drop another tick or two, but no one else is over 33.
Merrill played just 11 minutes on Monday, but was able to make three more 3-pointers against the team that released him as one of the final cuts in camp last season. He has increased to 41 percent from 3 since entering the rotation permanently on Dec. 29.
There's a strong argument for the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Clippers as well, but the Cavs are arguably one of the most deep teams in the league at the moment and claim the title of most deep team. there is a possibility.
Still, it's a comfortable position for a team that lacks star players at the trade deadline and doesn't have a lot of leeway either way.
The Cavs only have a dangling second-round pick left unless they want to break into their current roster, and their generous acquisition from Ricky Rubio will cost them about $3 million under the luxury tax. There is. They are more likely to use it in the post-deadline buyout market than at any time before Thursday.
Unless you are a very special person, it is not wise to delve into taxes at this point. If the team intends to move into the tax realm and start the recidivist clock; Really Impact players are taxed during the offseason. Don't start the clock a few dollars over at the trade deadline for a little talent that may or may not be useful in May and June.
Who could realistically replace someone in the current rotation, which is already too deep, this week? And why destroy the chemistry and energy that this current group has created? The team is currently cooking. The worst thing they can do is try to crowbar a player or solution into a problem that doesn't exist.
As the acquisition market develops, they can trim around the margins. Every team is looking for more shooting, and getting another veteran ball handler is a great luxury. These may be addressed later this month or during he March. not now.
From a macro perspective, it's incredible coming into trade deadline week considering the Cavs' injury list. They are a number of percentage points ahead of the Milwaukee Bucks, who are the second seed in the East Division and are chirping in the underdogs. At various points throughout the summer and early this season, we heard from agents, opposing coaches and executives that the Cavs should actively trade Mitchell before this deadline. He would have been the biggest star on the market, and with two years of postseason control left, the Cavs could use all of that to bring back even more assets. Sure, the Cavs heard similar chatter, but in the weeks leading up to the deadline, they firmly told the team he was unavailable.
Now such talk seems foolish. Mitchell played the best basketball of his career in Cleveland. That part is not up for debate. He followed up on his career last season and performed even better this season. He took on the role of playmaker and organizer during Darius Garland's extended absence, and is averaging a career-high in assists while keeping his shooting numbers relatively close to last year. Cavs officials wonder why Mitchell isn't given more recognition in the MVP race. Upon further reflection, I'm inclined to think it has something to do with his lack of postseason success in recent years. Fair or not, until Mitchell does better in the playoffs, he will likely be punished with being voted the league's highest honor.
Regardless of Mitchell's future decisions, this is why the Cavs made the bold move of bringing him here. The idea is to be a stable, veteran talent who can lead a talented but inexperienced roster. When Mitchell arrived, the Cavs had young players who had no idea how to win.
They won 51 games last season, but that hardly mattered after an early postseason exit. They are on pace to win 55 games this year. What's different this time? In recent weeks, I've talked to opposing coaches who believe this team is better built to make a run in the playoffs. They went through that last year and have the necessary talent they lacked last year (i.e. shooting) along with an equally suffocating defense.
Last season's rapid ouster is still lingering, but more and more league insiders believe the Cavs will be in trouble this spring.
Ultimately, Mitchell and the Cavs will be judged by their performance in the postseason. But everyone I talked to said how devastating it is to put two athletic 7-footers on the defensive end and face a team that shoots all around them. I was doing it.
It will be a quiet week on the Cleveland Clinic courts. But the Cavs have already set themselves up well for what will be a pretty noisy next few months that really matter.
(Donovan Mitchell Photo: Jason Miller/Getty Images)
