What makes Donovan Mitchell DIFFERENT from other NBA stars + is this the best non-LBJ Cavs team ever

What makes Donovan Mitchell DIFFERENT from other NBA stars + is this the best non-LBJ Cavs team ever

Donovan Mitchell is the exception to the NBA superstar Rule and it’s a good thing for the Cleveland Cavaliers is this the best non LeBron Cavs team in history we’ll talk about it I’m Mikey McNuggets that’s Jason lordy and the ultimate Cav show starts right Now what is up Jay we started a few minutes late because you were late logging in we got to call it as we see it you were doing sixth grade math and we apologize to the people who had to wait seven extra minutes to start the show today inequalities and all kinds of

Fun stuff that makes my brain hurt so let’s talk pick and roll and see if I can settle down a little bit calm my brain down we promised fan questions last week we went over on time we’re going to do a much better job of making

Sure we stick to the time limit and getting those fan questions in I already got one on Twitter if you’re watching you have a question for Jason and myself put it in the chat and we will do our best to get to them at the end of the

Show we promise we’ll do at least one this week because we totally boted it last week and we are better than that Jason but let’s start with our first topic of the day as of right now the Cavs are the second seat in the Eastern Conference they lost last night but they

Still won 17 of 19 they’re playing fantastic basketball right now and Jason I want to ask you as someone who’s covered the team and followed it a lot longer than I have take the LeBron years out of the Cleveland Cavaliers and encyclopedia for the sake of this discussion is this Cavs team this

Current version the 2023 2024 Cavs the best non- LeBron Cavs team in franchise history it’s hard for me to say because when this came up we were talking about it my first thought went to man those the the price stor teams were really good they just ran into Jordan every

Year like Jordan the Bulls kept the Cavs out of at least one NBA Finals probably more than one so you know it’s those are not easy teams for me to dismiss and it’s it’s so like what criteria do you want to use are we going strictly off

Regular season record because I do think the regular season mattered more in the 80s and 90s than it does today I don’t know that teams take it as seriously now I know they don’t as they did back then so are we basing it just off record are we looking at postseason success like

What are the measuring sticks here well I I was hoping you’d answer first so I could counter with I was too young and not born to watch those late 80s Cavs teams and I have a really hard time comparing a team I watch on a nightly

Basis to a team that frankly I’ve only seen in highlights so I was going to make the case to why this team could be the best non LeBron Cavs team ever go ahead so I’ll start then full disclosure I did not watch any of the 80s Cavs

Teams live I was not born I apologize not being born the early 90s Cavs team I was one two I’m sorry I did not watch them in a night in Night Out basis thee why this Cavs team this year can be the best non Lebron team ever take the

LeBron years out the Cavs as a franchise are 4 and4 in playoff series they won a playoff series in 19 uh 7576 they won two playoff series in 1991 92 they reached the Eastern Conference Finals that year and they won one playoff series the following year in

9293 this current iteration of the Cavs is 0 and one together in the playoffs they lost to the Knicks last season and frankly it wasn’t good but here’s why I do think this current crop of Cavs has the potential to not just make a playoff run but potentially have the path to

Make the NBA Finals since January 1 which is now a month and a half sample size give or take the Cavs are first in the NBA net rating they’re second in offensive rating they first in defensive rating which tells you two things and granted it’s not the full season month

And a half sample size but it’s not just a few games it’s a sample size of 17 18 19 games depending on the team they can beat you in a multip of different ways they can beat you offensively and if JB bicker STS the coach you know they’ll be

Solid defensively so last year in the playoffs if Donovan Mitchell and Garland didn’t have good offensive games they just didn’t have enough weapons to compete with the Knicks and score and frankly the Knicks didn’t even score a ton the Cavs defense I think Gets Lost in Translation of how that playoff

Series went Jason but the Cavs defense wasn’t the issue in the postseason last year it was the fact they literally couldn’t put the ball in the bucket when they needed to this year they have so many different guys so many different ways to score points and even a game

Like last night against the Sixers they scored 120 points you feel pretty good about the Cavs winning games if they’re scoring 121 points on top of their offensive and defensive rating they have the fourth best assist to turnover ratio in the NBA since January 1 they’re taking care of the basketball despite

The fact they’re playing at the fastest Pace they’ve played in the JB bicker staff era they have the third best rebounding rate in the NBA rebounds translate from the regular season to the postseason rebounds matter when crunch time is on the line in the postseason maybe most importantly they’re shooting

41 and a half attempts per three and they have a top 10 efficiency rating from Beyond The Arc in the entire NBA you look at the ingredients of what wins in the playoffs Jason they have depth they have a start they have a true secondary playmaker and theoretically

Speaking they have two bigs that should cause more matchup problems for their opponents then they should have on the back end trying to mismatch size because Evan Mobley is a defensive unicorn in that stretch so I didn’t watch the 80s Cavs I was half a year old in

9392 when when those Cavs were making their playoff run I can’t tell you I watched them close enough but on paper this Cavs team has the ingredients to make a deep playoff run and they don’t have to do a whole lot at least by playoff wins to etch their name in the

Cavs history book outside of LeBron years as someone who did watch a lot of those I love those 80s Cavs teams I I can’t believe the age blows my when were you born 92 93 oh my God I was a junior in high school in 199 actually I was a

Senior I graduated 94 that’s I those 80s teams were really good you know I mean price was ahead of his time Big Time if Mark Price played today he might be in the Hall of Fame and I’m not even kidding that’s how good of a three-point shooter he was dhy was

Terrific Larry Nance was awesome at at power forward and uh Mike Sanders started but then they’d bring hot rod in about the six minute mark My Hot Rod was really the starting three he was sort of you know a really big six foot 10 the

Three um or maybe that was a little bit tall but I they they had everything that team had everything they just they just kept running to Michael Jordan year after year the great you know if he’s not the greatest he’s second greatest and that’s an argument for another day

And and that’s really what kept the I mean if the Cavs went to a finals prior to LeBron you know I think we would be saying that I don’t I think this argument could turn out differently and it’s it’s the exact same team it’s just that they weren’t running into a legend every

Single year so it’s it’s hard for me to just ultimately declare after you know a Midway point of the Season Yep this is the best to do it yeah um in the 50y year history so I’m G to defer to those 80s teams and say those teams were

Better I don’t have the advanced metrics and it was a different game anyway they wouldn’t compare like this team would blow out of the water if you’re looking just at the metrics uh but those were those were some talented teams and and they were they were fun to watch and

Lenny Wilkins is a coach this is how sad the Cavs history though is that you you mentioned that first playoff win 75 in 7576 that’s the miracle of Richfield year they won a playoff series and it’s referred to as the miracle of it is a bleak history of Cavs

Basketball outside of the LeBron years which makes what they’re doing now all the more impressive you know there was that 80s burst in late 80s early 90s with Lenny Wilkins and these teams and then that was really it until LeBron came so I’m not going to declare that

This is the best but it’s certainly a fun team to watch they’re in the conversation maybe by depending on how this postseason run goes we might I might have a different answer in in April and May I know that’s not what you want I feel like tyus right now that’s

Not what you fair it’s fair because the Cavs this iteration has one playoff one together and I know we’re talking big picture year to year but they do still have to prove it in the postseason before I think they can be crowned and once again I’m just making the case that

Ingredients wise and I’m sure those 80s teams I mean Mark Price you know is a star Brad Dow is a star they they had all kinds of different weapons and ways to beat you there’s no Michael Jordan in this Eastern conference right now regardless of what tyus says about

Yannis and tacumbo who’s phenomenal his own right but he’s not Michael Jordan so I’m just looking at the ingredients but the bar is pretty low and that’s why I think it is a question and that’s no disrespect to the 80s and 90s Cavs teams they just frankly didn’t have the

Postseason success right that matches the regular season success and the ingredients they had to work with which is a shame because as you mentioned those teams were really really good and you go back and you watch the highlights and it makes you think like how didn’t

This team win more playoff series and be in more Big Time games but that’s the Jordan effect man it’s like Mahomes in the NFL right now y I mean LeBron did that we saw LeBron do that for years the the TR Raptors he wrecked the Raptors

Got Dwayne Casey fired got a lot of guys fired yeah there’s a lot of teams who were very good teams in the East for a number of years but they couldn’t get past that man and and the Cavs the 80s fall into that conversation with Jordan

They were a very good team could they win a championship maybe I don’t know I don’t know if they’re taken down the Lakers uh at that time but they I that was a team that was certainly talented enough to play in an NBA Finals so 100% they were talented enough to get there

It just unfortunate they kept running into Michael we’ll see what happens as the Cavs continue to progress through the rest of the regular season 60 wins probably unlikely I mean definitely more unlik likely than probable but come not completely out of the question here Jason and if this team gets into that 55

56 57 win range then they’ll have a legitimate case without the postseason success and then we’ll see what happens as the Cavs continue their run in the Playoffs seeding will play a role in this and a whole lot more moving forward we talked about it today it’s the

Ultimate C show every Tuesday the ultimate 216 show Debs on Thursday’s ear the Pearl talking a little Cavs Browns culture the ultimate brown show is on Monday and Fridays and you can also listen in podcast form as well if you can’t watch it live so make sure you

Guys continue to support the ultimate Cleveland sports show in all facets and if you’re watching we appreciate y’all hit the like button hit the Subscribe button if you haven’t already trust us it does a lot of help on the back end Jason as I was driving home from

Basketball last night I called you and this was something I wanted to talk about and I wanted to highlight but I want you to start out with this we talked about Donovan Mitchell’s MVP case last week why I thought he be in the top

10 if not the the top five and the NBA must have watched because the day after we did our show Donovan Mitchell went from receiving votes into the top 10 so Adam Silver we appreciate you being a paid member of the ultimate Cleveland sports show and watching but there’s

Something I’ve noticed about Donovan Mitchell that kind of stands out to me is why he’s a unique star in this league and I think you agree with it but before we mention that to you if what I’m going to say is not the answer you can go in a

Different direction what’s the most impressive part of Donovan Mitchell’s game in your mind it’s probably going to be different than what you think it is to me the most impressive part of his game is the way he can make people around him better it’s one thing to be able to go out and

Get your own and put your numbers up uh but you know we saw it in that stretch without Darius and Evan this this team took off not only did they not miss a beat they they they were playing even better and I don’t know if that’s sustainable over an 82- Game season if

You really want to play that way long term but he has the ability to lift up those around him and that’s that’s a rare trait and that’s to me that’s what makes a superstar you know when you not only can go out and win a game but when

You can improve the game of everybody else when you can create better looks for other guys because you’re drawing the attention of the defense when you have the court Vision to get it there that to me and that was an underrated part that you know I I could when he was

In Utah obviously I’m not watching him every night and you see some of the points holes that he’s putting up but to see his overall game and to be able to see him create create facilitate playmake for others on a nightly basis is probably the thing that stood out to

Me the most in in now a year and a half of watching Donovan Mitchell he’s better than I thought he was and certainly he’s a better playmaker and a better creator for others than I thought that he was I I disagree with that yeah I know that’s

Not where you were probably expecting to go but that’s that’s what jumps out to me I I don’t disagree with that at all but that’s not what I wanted to touch on and I think what I’m going to hit on is more unique of a superstar skill SK set

Than that and it’s not a knock on that part he’s a really good playmaker and helps everyone but the one thing that I think has been the most impressive part of Donovan Mitchell’s game going back to last year and even more evident this year is the fact that he plays with 110%

Intensity every single night in today’s day and age of basketball guys Superstars rest they take load management days frankly I don’t even think it’s the wrong move for some of these guys that take the second night of a back toback off here and there to make sure they have the freshest likes

Possible for the postseason but one thing and you can criticize Donovan if you want for a number of different things sure it’s probably all fair the one thing you can’t criticize Donovan for is not giving 110% effort night in Night Out regardless of the opponent regardless of the score there was a few

Plays against the Washington Wizards last week where Donovan Mitchell is chasing balls out of bounds hounding guys the second they cross half court in man-to-man defense and there are very few superstars who are not only asked to do that but willing to do that and this

Is no knock on the other guys but a guy like Luka donic who puts up these otherworldly offensive numbers night in and night out is not asked to play defense and frankly he doesn’t play defense he kind of just stands there waves his arm lets guys go by and then

The last four minutes he’ll lock in but the fact that Donovan plays 48 minutes each and every night with the intensity like it’s a game seven of the NBA Finals makes everyone else on the C roster step their game up because if he’s playing that hard so do you you you can’t slouch

If your best player is playing with that kind of intensity and when Darius went out when Evan went out part of the reason I think they flourish flourished was because no one took a night off Donovan was playing like his ass was on fire oh was everyone else they all had

To follow suit when your best player does it everyone follows and I just don’t think that gets enough recognition and Jason I’m gonna tell a story that you told us last year but you you asked Donovan once last season hey you ever think about just taking a night to get

Someone else involved like let let everyone else kind of get some shots and Donovan’s like no like I gotta get not I have to score but we’re at our best when I’m scoring I don’t want to lose a game I can’t do that like that he doesn’t

Have the off switch and I think that’s such an underrated part of why he’s one of the the 10 15 best guys in the league he’s phenomenal and he never never is lacking an effort and and it’s it’s not a knock on anyone else but when’s the

Last time he’s taken on just a generic rest day or a load management day doesn’t doesn’t happen with him yeah I he plays heavy minutes too like he’s yeah he plays he last year was a a career high in minutes and this year he’s a tick down I actually think he

Needs to come down a little bit more uh but he he carries a heavy load and you’re right you know that conversation you’re referencing I asked him would you ever punt a game just to teach a lesson just to get other guys involved evolved

Which I I think they should do I I I have SE nothing wrong with punt on a win if if it comes to that but make Darius and Evan go out and try and win you a game one night and Donovan stands in the corner and and and lets them go because

I think that can only help you in April May and June and Donovan’s point was I I can’t not win yeah every single game I’m out there and to your point about how hard that he plays I think that was really evident to me in the last year

The the what was it 7 was it 71 71 when he beat Chicago in overtime yeah the 71 game if you I I remember talking a couple people in the organization about this afterward about he I I’d have to go back and look I didn’t like 56 minutes

Didn’t he yeah it was he it was the the heavy workload the minutes load and he was sprinting full court at the end of the game for like a loose ball or something I remember thinking like wow like the stamina on this dude to play this level of minutes at such a high

Level I mean obviously you know there’s when you’re scoring 71 points you’re playing at a high high level and the energy that he’s exerting and he looked like he was ready to play through or four more quarters and they said like he takes great pride in his stamina and

There’s some sort of weighted vest that he’ll run in and and jog in and and it just builds up his endurance and and the lung capacity and all that because that it was never more apparent to me than that 71-point game of his legs just it just looks like he

Don’t ever get tired were you there in person for that yeah I was that wasn’t either Demar Hamlin I I remember when we we couldn’t lead with it the next day because we had to talk dear and it was like well Donovan just yeah did the unthinkable but someone just died on a

Football field and you know we know how it went so I was at that game like I mean you almost feel guilty about tweeting but I mean there is a there’s whole Sports World still going on and you it’s your job to inform so you know

As as dear’s laying on the field dying I’m tweeting about there two more for Donovan two more for Donovan it was it was it was really surreal it was a surreal night but yeah I was I was there for that I wasn’t sure if I was going to

Go to that game or not I went and obviously saw something really really special that night well they play Chicago tomorrow at Rocket mortgage field as you and I will both be in attendance so maybe we’ll be treated to another 71.9 from Donovan Mitchell I

Will say this too like going back to any sport this baseball football basketball Your Leader sets the tone and the everyone else kind of Falls in place and if there was ever any question about who the leader of the Cavs was which I don’t think ever really

Was a question but it’s never been more evident that this is Donovan Mitchell’s team they March to the beat of his path because you look at guys like Isaac aoro and Jared Allen and Evan Mobley and even Garland now who’s getting back into the swing of things Sam Merill Dean Wade

They all play with the same tenacity like there’s never one guy Lolly gagging back and I think that’s part of the reason you have five guys playing cohesive Style with cohesive effort that leads to being the number one net rated team in the NBA since the turn of the

Cal calendar year the number two offense the number one defense all that stuff comes together and in the regular season part of it is just frankly effort I mean we talk about some teams who don’t really even give a crap till the six- minute Mark of the fourth quarter then

They flip a switch and try to play yeah the Cavs for the most part there there’s always exceptions come out they try to start hot they try to put teams away theyve done a really good job of doing that and I just think Donovan special we

All know he’s special but that’s part of his game that doesn’t get talked about enough in the grand scheme of how good Donovan Mitchell truly has been for the Cav since he came here last season yeah and I know we’ve touched on this on occasion but it it’s worth repeating

That like the Cavs trading for him it it was a major risk it was a huge chance that they took and bringing him here they identified a guy who fit talent-wise with what they needed fit age-wise with with the with where this roster was at as constructed and someone

Who th this was a young talented team that needed some leadership that needed a direction of where to go and how to get there and last year did not end the way anyone wanted and and frankly Donovan’s got some things he has to prove if not to himself to the rest of

The league in terms of how that goes but on a day in day out basis of how you car yourself as professional how do you get ready for games how do you compete at this level Donovan has been everything that they wanted him to be when they

Made that trade he’s done exactly what they wanted him to do and again he was sent here he didn’t ask to come here he was sent here and whatever future decisions he make is on him but in terms of his responsibilities meeting his responsibilities in a Cavs Jersey he has

Met and exceeded every obligation we talk about Joe flacko you know just be a professional and meet your obligations and how Wild that seemed at the time of and well that’s Donovan Donovan knows his obligations knows his responsibilities on and off the court with the media with training practice

Whatever he meets and exceeds his expectations every single day and that is a mark of a true professional and it’s exactly what this organization needed and he’s an awesome guy always enjoy talking to Donovan whether it’s pregame postgame or just kind of catching him around he he’s he’s

Topnotch topnotch uh before we move on to our last topic here Jason once again the ultimate 216 show with Earl the Pearl his second episode first live one is airing Thursday five o’clock and then G bush is back with his fourth episode of the ultimate brown show that is at

Five o’clock on Friday as well you can also find all of our shows not just the ultimate shows team-wise but the ultimate Cleveland sports show via podcast as well wherever you get your podcast Jason I know we’re GNA get to some fan questions at the end I see a

Few in the chat already so we’ll make sure we hit those but real quick Evan Moy stepping out shooting more threes I know you wrote a column on it it’s been a big topic of discussion across C’s Twitter what do you do with Evan Moy now

You got Garland back let’s just focus on Moy for the time being and spend a few minutes on it but how have you thought Moy has done assimilating himself to the rest of this Cavaliers offensive system and frankly taking the shots that the defense is giving him over the last few

Weeks he’s seven of 11 from three in the month of February take that however you want that’s fantastic like and he’s put in the work like that’s the part that you know when I first wrote the story people were up in arms then well that’s

Stest thing I ever heard why do you want him shooting threes well this is why and you know he’s put in the work for a number of years but there hasn’t been necessarily the urgency for him to take them in games on a consistent basis because they never really played this

Way before you know I don’t know that there was the pressure on him to do it whereas there is like and JB said like it comes a point with these guys where they feel that from their teammates of like you know the hell with it I got to

Shoot it like these guys are me to shoot it I got to let it fly and sometimes you just need that little extra push to see if it if what you have worked on in practice for two years really maybe even more translates into games and he’s

Never been in that spot where he had to find out so he never did you know he’s shooting one a game not even one a game and that was the point I was making I was trying to make in the comment on the show is well how do you know what he can

And can’t do we haven’t seen it it’s fair yeah when you only do it one time a game that doesn’t tell you if you can do it or not so do it like do it in a game and let’s find out if you can do this

And you can do this at a high level then they can continue playing their their style that they they’ve had so much success with and guess what he’s doing it and it’s working now he’s not gonna make he’s not always gonna make 7-Eleven I don’t care if he misses the next three

Or four that he takes keep taking them like keep shooting them and I said before like 120 to 133 is the rest of the way that was the number that I kind of had circled that I wanted to see has right around that three three and a half

Per game he’s probably going to fall under that uh but you know I think on the show you put the Mark at 75 I hope he gets a 75 and just it if you miss three or four in a row it’s okay if you go for three one night that doesn’t mean

Don’t shoot him the next night put him back up do it again and and build that consistency and that Rhythm and that routine uh because I think it’s in there and and he’s showing it he’s demonstrating it’s in there he can do this now no one’s expecting him to shoot

40% 45 % for for a season but just the threat if you can become a consistent threat from three and we were talking about okoro today on the show they’re not going to guard okoro in the postseason uh and they probably won’t Moy if Mo’s on the perimeter either but

If Isaac makes his first two Corner threes gota go start game they’re gonna come out they’re gonna come out on they’re gonna change the way they defend and then that’s a game changer for everybody else on the floor and it’s the same thing with Evan If he if they’re

Not gonna guard him in a postseason game and Evan splashes one and then he makes another well guess what they’re going to pull that big out of the lane then and it’s going to change the way that they play it’s imperative that Evan Moy just continues to shoot it’s not even make

Just continue to shoot these open shots and it doesn’t have to be you know Jay asked me on the show a couple days ago what’s the number how many does he have to shoot the answer in my opinion is however many times he’s open like I don’t need bubly jacking threes coming

Off down screens he’s not running the Sam Merill offense right he’s open five six seven times in a game I have no issue with Evan Mobley shooting five six seven eight whatever the number is threes per game his jumper is still a little slow it’s smooth but it takes him

A while to get it up which means he needs a ton of space to let it fly without having a you know a hand in his face and he’s seven of 11 right now we’ll see what happens in the postseason I’m by no means ready to declare Evan

Moy a a legitimate three-point threat at this point but he’s making open threes and that’s all you can ask for and when you have the option as a pick and roll ball handler so if you’re in Darius Garland shoes or you’re Caris Levert or Donovan Mitchell and you have the option

To know all right when I come off I’m now reading the secondary Defender I’m not just worried about the guy trailing me is he going under going over is he following I’m now reading the secondary Defender because if he sags off well Evan could pick and pop and that’s the

Easiest back that’s the easiest pass back and I’m not worried that what I do with the ball now is give it to Evan and now Evan dear in headlights well that gives you so much more confidence and then you can run secondary op uh secondary offense off of that first pass

M could go into a dribble handoff with the guy in the corner he could attack he had a little step through against San Antonio a couple days ago yeah in transition from the right and he was coming down did a little step through finish with his left hand he has the

Moves he just needs the space and if he can Force Defenders to either respect the shot which makes it even more difficult to guard the point guard or the ball handler coming off the screen well that opens a whole second option on that half of the court and I know you

Guys can’t see my hands because the screen small but this way on the back side well now you got Moy to deal with it it just creates so much of a nightmare from a defensive perspective if that guy can do both yeah it’s it’s hard to defend regardless but when it’s

Predictable Mo’s always rolling or a guy I mentioned this is the most meur has ever been mentioned in one day since he retired but a guy like meter back with the Utah Jazz and Detroit Pistons he was always popping that’s EAS easier to defend just based on the Tendencies if

You guy who can do both it just continued pressure on the defense to make Split Second decisions and we we showed the clips last week Steve we won’t show any video today I promise I got in trouble for that that’s my bad guys we’re still working on getting

Those rights but the uh Defenders making split-second decisions is how you can capitalize and get offensive opportunities off of broken down offensive sets and with the more options you have the more opportunities for the defense to break down and that just gives Donovan and Darius who are super creative offensive guys just more

Options to get good looks for either themselves or someone else so Evan keep shooting yep keep creating and just stay confident just stay confident all right we got two minutes left let’s hit the reader questions all right let’s do it we got the first one comes from Twitter

So let me pull it up here this was from and I just pulled it up this is from Dogecoin MC riblets shout out to J Dog 182 Dogecoin MC rets he says if the Cavs don’t make it past round two of the playoffs this year is Donovan and JB both gone or do

You think it depends on the circumstances for which that happens I think we have four questions Jason let’s spend a minute on this you can answer this one if they don’t make it past the second round Donovan JB gone yes or no I think it depends on the circumstance second

Round they definitely have to make it out of the first if they don’t make it out of the first round JB’s getting fired and Donovan mayor may not you know second round I think is sort of that gray area I I said on the show today I

Believe it I think Donovan needs to sign the extension even if he long-term home is in Cleveland I’ll say if they make it the second round JB is safe uh but it is that gray area Conference Finals everybody’s safe and probably coming back first round everybody’s out second round it kind of

Depends on how it goes I would second that uh next one comes from Joe Stefan why is Merill only playing nine minutes a game and Rob also said I thought for sure mer was going to be in that last play so a little Merl question here I’ll start

Jason this is what I think and then you can let me know if I’m I’m way off I’m not sure if JB mentioned this last night but uh as far as only playing nine minutes there are just going to be certain matchups where JB does not feel comfortable playing SE Merill for his

Defensive purposes and last night frankly it didn’t matter who was guarding buddy heeld or Kelly UB or Tyrese Maxi they were getting shots at will so maybe you throw them out of a little more because the guys out there weren’t providing any resistance anyway but there are just going to be certain

Matchups where Sam Merill does not fit into this rotation and if you guys don’t like saman Marell only playing nine minutes now then I’m very terrified for the comment section when the postseason rolls around and the rotation shrinks from 1011 to 789 and other guys who you think should be playing aren’t getting

Minutes it’s in my opinion purely a a matchup situation Jason I’m not sure if JB mentioned it after the game but I can’t think of any other reason why he wouldn’t be playing yeah I didn’t hear his post game last night but listen I mean Merl’s a 10th out of 10 and JB’s

Already said he doesn’t love playing 10 he prefers nine so Merl’s gonna get the fewest minutes he he is money when he’s out there in terms of shots and I’ll agree I was a little surprised he’s not out there at the end if he needed three

At the end of a game you got to have Sam Merl out there on the I also agree with that and Merill did play nine minutes I don’t think he made a shot I think it was 0 for one so it wasn’t like he was

Produ I’m sure if he was three for four in those nine minutes he would have gotten some more minutes right but uh based on the production but yeah in in that last second scenario the only thing I will say is sometimes it’s tough to come off the bench in a clutch situation

And and be ready for the moment but but Sam maro’s a freaking flamethrower he should be on the court if you need a three in the final seconds I uh I do agree with that we have this one from Austin uh Andrew music what can JB do to

Start preparing this team for the playoffs Jason you got 90 seconds left you want to start here uh what can he do start mixing a match in lineups and start preparing for a disaster really uh you know start trying to play left-handed if team’s going to take away

Your pick and roll start working dribble handoffs start coming up with creative different things that are a little bit different than what you normally run because whatever your Staples are is the first thing when a team keys in on you and locks in on the playoffs it’s the

First you’re going to take away and with as pick and roll heavy as the Cavs are I want to see them try and diversify a little bit more get a little more creative with some of the actions that they run on offense um and spread the spread the floor with the shooters which

They already are but just try and and mix up so that you’re not so predict predictable coming the postseason I’ll add one thing I was talking to my guy in Portland today and he mentioned I’m like what do you start doing to prepare for the playoffs and I love Portland but

They’re not making the playoffs this year so he’s very open about what to do he goes well when you Scout a team seven times in a row you’re going to know their offense inside out what’s the counters and you don’t want to show your hand too early but you could sprinkle

Some things in here and there that you just want to you just want to see how they work it may not become a staple but just see how certain guys react to certain uh certain actions and see if it’s something you like to maybe add into the postseason Playbook you don’t

Want to put it all on tape now but at least start getting ready for that that’s the last question Jason we did it 33 minutes we appreciate y’all for tuning in to the ultimate Cavaliers show we’ll see you tomorrow on the ultimate Cleveland sports show and make sure you

Check out Earl and G later this week on the ultimate 216 and ultimate brown show for Jason on McNuggets peace

Donovan Mitchell is playing out of his mind right now for the Cleveland Cavaliers. He’s entered the MVP race.

But what makes his different from the other NBA stars?

The Cavs are the 2-seed in the NBA right now, but is this group the best non-LBJ Cavs team ever? Or does that honor go to the Mark Price, Brad Daughtery the late 80s Cavs?

Plus, Evan Mobley is still getting acclimated to the Cavs new offense & the guys are impressed with how his progression is coming along.

Plus, fan questions if there’s time to wrap it all up.

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