Cavs Team Notes

[Cleveland Cavaliers]

This topic is for Cavs team notes. Would love to see Spida and Garland win a chip this year!

 

[Cleveland Cavaliers]

Dwayne Wade and his project with daughter Zaya that will infuriate Donald Trump

Father and Daughter Strengthen Their Commitment to Advocacy Leer

Source: https://www.marca.com/en/basketball/nba/2025/02/07/67a6107cca47416f6c8b4594.html

 

[Cleveland Cavaliers]

Timberwolves could be without multiple starters vs. Cavs

Photo by David Berding/Getty Images

Minnesota could be without star guard Anthony Edwards in Monday’s game.

The Minnesota Timberwolves won’t be at full strength when they play the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday evening. They will be missing as many as three members of their opening-day starting lineup, but will at least be missing one. Most notably, Minnesota could be without Anthony Edwards who is currently listed as questionable with right hip soreness.

Edwards last played on Thursday when he led his team to a 127-114 victory over the Houston Rockets. In that game, he played 38 minutes and produced 41 points on 11-25 shooting with seven rebounds and six assists. It was his second straight game with over 40 points.

He missed Minnesota’s last game which was a win over the Portland Trail Blazers with the same hip injury that could keep him out of Monday’s game.

Edwards has had a phenomenal season. He’s averaging the fifth most points in the league with 27.2 per contest on 44.6% shooting from the floor and 42.1% from beyond the arc. He played well in Minnesota’s previous meeting against Cleveland where he put up 28 points in a losing effort.

Minnesota has struggled to put together a good offense without Edwards on the floor. They’ve produced just a 109.6 offensive rating (23rd percentile) without Edwards. They’re 1-1 in games this year he doesn’t play.

The Timberwolves will also be without Julius Randle (groin) and Donte DiVincenzo (toe). Mike Conley, who has been the starting point guard this season, is also listed as questionable with a right index finger strain.

The Cavs will be without Isaac Okoro (shoulder), Dean Wade (right knee), and JT Thor (G League). De’Andre Hunter is expected to make his Cavalier debut on Monday. Tip-off is at 7 PM.

Source: https://www.fearthesword.com/2025/2...port-cleveland-cavaliers-minnesota-wolves-nba

 

[Cleveland Cavaliers]

Player Grades: Cavs vs Wolves

Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images

Mobley has been incredible.

The Cleveland Cavaliers rocked the Minnesota Timberwolves from start to finish in this 129-107 beatdown.

Grades are based on our usual expectations for each player. As a reminder, we don’t give grades to players who played fewer than 10 minutes of meaningful basketball. So while Emoni Bates and Luke Travers both saw the floor tonight — we will refrain from grading them. It wouldn’t be fair to judge such a strange, small sample size.

De’Andre Hunter​

12 points (3-7 shooting), 1 rebound, 1 steal, 5 fouls, 23 minutes

Hunter made his Cavalier debut tonight and despite some foul trouble, played a pretty fine game. He knocked down 3-of-4 three-point attempts and set the tone early with stifling defense on Anthony Edwards. His role on offense is clearly still a work in progress but it’s easy to see how Hunter will fit into the grander scheme.

It’s important to have measured expectations. Hunter is having a career-best year but a mid-season trade could require an adjustment period. Tonight was a good first step as the two-way picture wasn’t too blurry. This was a sturdy debut for Hunter.

Grade: B+​

Donovan Mitchell​

23 points (10-14 shooting), 8 assists, 3 rebounds, 2 steals

This was the definition of efficiency. Mitchell torched the Wolves early and never turned down the heat. He was in complete control of the offense and delivered a surge of shot creation that Minnesota couldn’t hope to contain.

Grade: A+​

Darius Garland​

17 points (6-14 shooting), 3 assists, 1 rebound, 4 turnovers, 27 minutes

The Cavaliers' offense didn’t really start rolling until midway through the first quarter. By then, the wheels had totally come off for Minnesota — and the Cavs coasted to an easy victory.

As a result, Garland didn’t accumulate his usual stats. He finished with more turnovers than assists in a fairly underwhelming box score. Still, it’s hard to knock a guy when his team leads for 48 minutes. Garland wasn’t the hyper-efficient floor general that we’ve come to love but he was more than enough for Cleveland to pick up their 43rd win in 53 games.

Grade: B+​

Evan Mobley​

28 points (12-19 shooting), 10 rebounds, 6 assists, 4 blocks, 2 steals

Mobley was the best player on the floor tonight. That’s something we’ve been able to say more than ever before this season. But it’s true — even in a game where Anthony Edwards had 44 points — it was Mobley who controlled both ends of the floor.

This stat line is what Cavs fans dreamed of when Mobley was drafted. An all-around dominant performance full of defensive highlights and completed by a powerful offensive game. Mobley looked too big and too strong for Minnesota’s frontcourt. Again, that’s something we’ve said more this season than any other.

Mobley has earned his spot in All-Star weekend and at this rate, he should be in All-NBA consideration, as well.

Grade: A+​

Jarrett Allen​

14 points (6-8 shooting), 13 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal

Night in, night out, Allen does his job. His 9 rebounds in the opening quarter allowed the Cavs to take advantage of a putrid offensive start for both teams. His relentless pursuit of the ball put Cleveland in front as they rode to a stress-free victory.

Grade: A​

Sam Merrill​

9 points (3-8 shooting), 6 rebounds, 2 steals

Merrill has found his groove in recent weeks. He has now hit multiple threes in four consecutive games, beginning with his 9 three-pointers against the Dallas Mavericks last Sunday.

The Cavaliers have been the league’s top offense all season. Merrill can only push them further over the top if he has truly rediscovered his touch. What’s more, he grabbed 6 rebounds in this game as the Cavaliers put on a defensive clinic.

Grade: B+​

Ty Jerome​

15 points (4-8 shooting), 4 assists, 2 rebounds

This may have been a lower grade if Jerome hadn’t converted the most exciting play of the game. A three-point shot from Jaylon Tyson, followed by a steal and buzzer-beating three from Jerome sent the crowd into a frenzy.

TY JEROME BUZZER BEATER IS CRAZY !!

pic.twitter.com/w4gsuLJuMv

— McNeil (@Reflog_18) February 11, 2025​

Jerome’s knack for getting to the free-throw line has been an underrated aspect of his game. He made all 5 free three attempts tonight and is shooting 89% from the stripe this season.

Grade: A+​

Jaylon Tyson​

5 points (2-4 shooting), 5 rebounds, 1 assist

Tyson understands why he is on the floor. He only shoots when he’s open and instead focuses all of his attention on playing defense. Sure, the rookie is prone to rookie mistakes. But the effort is undeniable. He attacks the glass with authority and has the physical tools to be a versatile defender even in his first NBA season.

The Cavs will need more from Tyson offensively as the games progress. It’s unlikely he plays meaningful minutes in the postseason. Yet, these reps are valuable for the developing prospect as he remains a building block for the future.

Grade: A-​

Craig Porter Jr​

2 points (1-6 shooting), 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 2 turnovers

Porter has had a great week. This game was an outlier. He shot 0-4 from deep and never found a rhythm on offense. His athleticism pops when he’s in transition — but Porter looks outmatched in other areas. Finding a way to use his body and become a more impactful defender will be the key for Porter to stay on the floor even when his shot isn’t falling.

Grade: F​

Source: https://www.fearthesword.com/2025/2...avs-vs-wolves-evan-mobley-extends-all-nba-bid

 

[Cleveland Cavaliers]

Kenny Atkinson is already getting Cavs ready for playoffs

Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images

“Let’s start really narrowing in and focusing in on what’s going to help us in the playoffs.”

The Cleveland Cavaliers are still three months away from the playoffs, but they’ve already begun preparing for it. As successful as this season has been, they will ultimately be judged by how they perform in the postseason.

As a result, they’re beginning to emphasize things that will translate to success this spring.

“We’ve been kind of narrowing our focus right now, and like playoff focus, so we got certain KPIs (key performance indicators) that we want to hit in terms of our defense and our offense,” said head coach Kenny Atkinson before Monday’s win. “Let’s start really narrowing in and focusing in on what’s going to help us in the playoffs. And I do think that that changes from our beginning of the season [approach].”

What works in the regular season doesn’t always carry over to the postseason. The skill of your opponent combined with the significantly increased attention to detail makes it difficult to get by without some level of adjustments.

You don’t want to change entirely what worked in the regular season, but there is a need to emphasize different things heading into the playoffs.

“I would say 70% of it is the same basic things we’ve been doing, probably 30% where we’ve shifted our focus to different areas, possession game, being one of them,” Atkinson said when asked what areas of focus are different.

“Day one I wasn’t like, ‘Man, we’re gonna win the possession game.’ Now, as we start playing these more elite teams and start getting to the playoffs and where the plane feels a little more even. Possessions become more and more important because your margin is smaller. So that’s just one example of how we’ve shifted our mindset ... Let’s win the turnover battle. Let’s win the rebounding battle.”

The Cavs have done a good job of protecting the ball and forcing turnovers. They rank third in turnover percentage on offense and 11th on defense.

Rebounding is another issue. They rank in the bottom ten in both offensive and defensive rebounding percentages. The defensive rebounding in particular is something you’d like to see change before the playoffs.

Their offensive proficiency in the regular season has helped paper over some of these flaws.

“The reason why we’ve overcome it is because we’ve shot the ball so darn good,” Atkinson said. “[We] shoot the heck out of the ball. But... It’s not always going to be the case.”

The defense hasn’t been as crisp as they would like it to be. Their goal is to be a top-five defense by the end of the regular season. But, how they get to that goal is more important.

Atkinson hasn’t been afraid to mix things up defensively throughout the season. The Cavs have run 2-3 zones and have experimented with blitzing out of both man and zone defenses while increasing the amount they’re switching screens.

This is a departure from J.B. Bickerstaff’s philosophy where the Cavs were content making only small tweaks to their base defense in the regular season and postseason.

Atkinson’s amount of defensive tinkering also stands in stark contrast with some of the other contending Cavs teams we’ve seen over the decade that were saving their best counter for the playoffs. This team has been showing it on the court throughout the year.

This isn’t by accident. Atkinson believes that repetition is the only way that they’ll get better.

“I think with this team, they were kind of a basic coverage team last year,” Atkinson said. “I just feel like you got to practice it live [in] live play. I think you got to bring it out in the regular season whether teams see it or not.”

The Cavs have exceeded expectations coming into the season. However, it’s still fair to question how much of this will work in later rounds of the playoffs given their recent results against the Oklahoma City Thunder and Boston Celtics.

All Atkinson can do presently is try and prepare his team the best he can. That starts now.

“Working with championship coaches, I love the Ty Lue [line],” Atkinson said. “He said, you work on a playoff adjustment a day. You know, you’re always working on something because you never know when you’re going to need it. But I really believe you do it in live play and not just in practice.”

Source: https://www.fearthesword.com/2025/2/11/24363064/cavs-playoffs-kenny-atkinson-cleveland-cavaliers-nba

 

[Cleveland Cavaliers]

Watch Warriors at Rockets on Playback

Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images

Watch NBA League Pass with us on Playback!

Join us on Playback as the Houston Rockets host the Golden State Warriors for a Western Conference showdown at 8 pm.

The Warriors have found new life since trading for Jimmy Butler. The six-time All-Star is averaging 22 points in a Dubs uniform. Golden State will look to bounce back from a tough loss to the Dallas Mavericks last night.

Houston has won three straight games and stands 14 games above .500. Their breakout season has been one of the surprise stories of the year. Aleperen Sengun will represent them in All-Star weekend while rising star Amen Thompson has turned heads recently.

We will watch this game as well as others on tonight’s slate.

• Dallas Mavericks vs Miami Heat at 8:30 pm
• Utah Jazz vs Los Angeles Clippers at 9 pm

If you want to watch the games live with us, you only have to make a free account on Playback.

• Head over to playback.tv and create an account with your email address
• Connect and select your NBA League Pass login as your streaming account (sign up for League Pass here first if you don’t have it)
• Go to https://www.playback.tv/fearthesword and hit the JOIN button
• Make sure to activate push notifications so you know when we’re going live

Source: https://www.fearthesword.com/2025/2...state-warriors-at-houston-rockets-on-playback

 

[Cleveland Cavaliers]

Player Grades: Cavs at Magic

Photo by Rich Storry/Getty Images

Hunter spurred a huge win.

The Cleveland Cavaliers are running out of adjectives to describe their recent play. A 40-point thumping of the Orlando Magic is as good as it gets.

Grades are based on our usual expectations for each player.

De’Andre Hunter​

17 points (5-8 shooting), 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 27 minutes

This game hit a lull during the first quarter. During this, it felt the Magic’s second-ranked defense was establishing itself. Then Hunter sent them back to the shadow realm.

There’s a reason why Hunter is second in Sixth Man of the Year odds. He’s become a flamethrower off the bench and did so tonight with three three-pointers in quick succession to break the cold spell.

Hunter has put the Cavs over the top. The lineup versatility he provides has given the Cavs no discernable weakness to exploit. His defense isn’t perfect and he isn’t consistently pounding the glass — but his size makes up for all.

Grade: A+​

Ty Jerome​

20 points (7-12 shooting), 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steals, 21 minutes

This has become laughable. You can count on Jerome to give you a point-per-minute as he continues to shred opponents with his floater and deep three-point shot. Opposing defense? Doesn’t matter. Jerome is giving out buckets to anyone who wants ‘em.

His scoring is hard to explain. Unless you’re watching Jerome nightly, you wouldn’t understand how miraculous this season has been. He’s had stretches where he is totally unguardable. Tonight was one of those nights.

Grade: A+​

Donovan Mitchell​

11 points (5-12 shooting), 5 assists, 3 rebounds, 25 minutes

Mitchell had to quite literally do it all against Olrando in last year’s postseason. Even hobbled on one leg — the series came down to Mitchell putting the Cavs on his back to get it done. Tonight? He only played 25 minutes in a 40-point victory.

The Cavs were lagging behind Mitchell in years prior. But now, the supporting cast has caught up to his timeline. The result is a 48-10 record.

Grade: A-

Evan Mobley​

17 points (6-9 shooting), 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks

Mobley didn’t stuff the box sheet tonight but he was plenty impressive. His defense looked supercharged against an Orlando team that ranks dead last in points per game. Then on offense, Mobley was able to run the floor and crush the Magic in transition.

Grade: A+​

Max Strus​

17 points (6-9 shooting), 2 assists, 1 rebound, 21 minutes

Strus let it rip as soon as the game started. He opened with back-to-back threes before carrying that over to the second half, where he continued to can open looks. Strus has proven to be more of a complete player than a specialist — but he’s still capable of catching fire and burning an opponent like he did tonight. Five three-pointers match a season high for Strus.

Grade: A+​

Jarrett Allen​

8 points (4-7 shooting), 7 rebounds, 1 block, 25 minutes

Allen did his job on both ends tonight. Steady on offense and ever-present on defense. His frequent contests at the rim helped the Cavs hold Orlando to just 80 points. This was a relatively quiet game from Allen but a strong one nonetheless.

Grade: A​

Sam Merrill​

5 points (1-4 shooting), 2 rebounds, 2 assists

Merrill’s minutes have been rough recently. He earned an F grade after his performance against Memphis and won’t do much better tonight.

Fortunately, his sole three-pointer of the game is a reminder of why he gets an extended leash. Merrill is still one of the best shooters on the planet and is worth rolling out there for a few stretches on the chance he gets rolling.

*Grade is being amended after further thought. I a

Grade: C+​

Dean Wade​

5 points (2-3 shooting), 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 19 minutes

Wade has gone from the only wing on the roster to the cherry on top of a strong frontcourt rotation. The team is relying on him less than ever before and it’s helped Wade ease into the foreground. He’s still an elite defender who can switch 1-5 (he played center during the garbage time minutes) and rebounds at a high rate.

The weight off of Wade means he’s a luxury, not a necessity. Having a role player as complete as Wade at the back of your rotation is an embarrassment of riches.

Grade: A-​

Isaac Okoro​

8 points (2-4 shooting), 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 24 minutes

Cleveland’s improved depth will benefit Okoro, as well. There is less pressure on him or Wade to perform now that Hunter can give them relief. This has led to Okoro looking very comfortable since returning from injury. He’s all over the ball on offense, at least, more than before. He buried a pair of confident three-pointers tonight and was disruptive on defense with a steal and block.

Grade: A​

Javonte Green​

4 points (2-2 shooting), 3 rebounds, 6 minutes

We don’t hand out grades for garbage minutes... but, newcomer Javonte Green deserves a quick nod.

Sure, it was only six minutes that came in a 40-point blowout but Green showed his worth right away. An attack on the basket — then a sprint in transition for another layup were the first two buckets of Green’s Cavalier career. His athleticism and pursuit of the ball presented itself right away. It’s easy to see how he will help this team down the stretch of the season.

Grade: A​

Source: https://www.fearthesword.com/2025/2...rome-donovan-mitchell-cleveland-cavaliers-nba