What happened to the Cleveland Cavaliers offense without Donovan Mitchell vs. Orlando?

What happened to the Cleveland Cavaliers offense without Donovan Mitchell vs. Orlando?

Yeah uh speaking of basketball we’re going to move on talk a little Cavs after a quick word from FanDuel you can get Buckets on your first bet with fanuel America’s number one sports book because right now new customers get $150 in bonus Bets with any winning $5 bet

That’s $150 bucks if your team wins you can bet on all your favorite NBA players and teams with quick bets live same game parlays exclusive props and much much more just visit fanduel.com youss to shoot your shot FanDuel and official Sportsbook partner of the NBA last yesterday Mike asked the question

Jason are the Cavs were the Cavs before last night’s game obviously more likely to go 25 and four the rest of the year or 10 and 19 and we all said they’re they’re more likely to go 25 and four than 10 and 19 even though neither was

Likely yeah and then the one caveat was unless Donovan Mitchell got hurt now he’s not hurt he was just sick I don’t know if he’s going to play tonight but G Bush yesterday said that if Donovan Mitchell didn’t play they still wouldn’t go 10 and 19 even if he didn’t play all

29 games they wouldn’t go 10 to 19 no without Donovan Mitchell no although their March schedule they do have some but they’d be more likely go 109 25 and four without Donovan Mitchell right I mean I suppose but again we’re talking about this schedule was crazy they

Played a lot of games in not that many days they they were pretty awful yesterday although Orlando shot the hell out of the ball yesterday too they did Cleveland also shot pretty well if you look at the pure numbers but G Bush we have a tweet from your uh postgame

Immediate thoughts afterwards I want to bring up here I want to let you address what you had to say Steve take tagboard full this was G Bush last night all that talk about Donovan Mitchell being overrated is dead the Cavs look like a playing Team without Mitchell tonight if

They can’t sign him this is what you’re in store for the offense has reverted to dribble dribble dribble damn near 20 turnovers hash cabs I don’t think any of that is fair that’s completely fair you’re basing it on one game completely fair I they look just like they did when

They lost to the Atlanta Hawks in the play in they look like that when they lost to the it’s one game I I get it’s one game mean any teams but you don’t prove you’re overrated you don’t prove you’re not overrated to the playoffs first of all who’s calling Donan

Mitchell overrated anyone everyone’s talking about he should be getting more recognition for MVP well not the whole half of the year was like oh trade him and then oh well not because he’s overrated but there’s this false sense of security that yeah we have Darius Garland so we do lose him then we’re

Good we’re just right I don’t think you think anybody really feels that way anybody I think a lot of people feel that way like regular fans like a lot of people like when when we talk about Donovan Mitchell it’s almost like this thing where okay yeah we we we got the

Core for but we still got Jared Allen that’s why we won’t trade Mo or Garland cuz we got a fallback plan oh no no no no they ain’t got no fallback plan did you notice the softness on that court yesterday they let a runway model W

Vagner just Flex on him pose on him knock him around D is and Brad dhy is like yeah you know Cavs gota you know give some resistance here man they got they I was like where is the game that we saw a couple of weeks ago like we

There was the pace was slow uh there was not the ball rotation it was dribbling around probing and I’m like this is not the same offense it just wasn’t Jason what’ you think well I was in the air so I I saw the condensed version this

Morning I was I I caught a little bit of the game here and there but I didn’t get to see the whole game obviously because I was flying home I would tap the braks on any overreaction to one game although I will say remember last week we were

Talking about going into the break and I thought it was a big win to beat the Bulls because now if you don’t come back and win that game now you’re on a three-game losing streak you look like crap and they played lousy after the break last year yeah so I

The part I think Garrett’s talking about and this is what I’ve said if they have to move on from Donan at some point they still have Evan Darius and Jared and together that core three is what’s going to carry them into the future and that’s part of the reason why nobody’s trading

Darius Garland in that organization right now because you’re already really concerned with what Donovan’s future is so you’re not going to trade a guy that you do have control over for still X number of years to come because if you trade Darius and now you lose Donovan

Well what do you got left so Darius isn’t going anywhere and he’s not played great this year like full aition yeah this is not a great year for him so far but last year they were great together like they were fine Donovan and daryus were fine together last year and when

You have two smaller guards in the back court it does make the game harder the benefit though what makes it better for the Cavs is you have two monsters in the front court if you’re going to be small in the back court you have to make up

For it on the on the front end and they can do that and that’s what’s different about this pairing as opposed to the Colin and Darius pairing which I never liked or Dame and CJ and Portland was defensively Portland couldn’t mitigate how small they were in the back court it

Is it is hard to win with two small guards the NBA it is but if you’re GNA do it if you have any shot at doing it you got to have what the Cavs do have which is Evan and Jared in the front court right I I would say that first of

All I I think it’s unfair to judge what this team would be without Donovan Mitchell based on one game especially the first game coming out of the break right and because it nobody wants them to be without Mitchell but in theory if they were next year without Mitchell you

Would hope that Evan Mobley would have a totally different game that he’d be scor we don’t know so to judge it based on one game this year that’s to me is completely unfair I’m not I’m not judging it all on based on one game this year I’m judging it based on the way

That Darius Garland has played since he got back I’m I’m not basing it on one game but G if if there was no in theory if there was no Donovan Mitchell and first of all he’s coming off an injury how many games has he played I mean the six games

Darius yeah since he’s been back more than that but it’s 10 games by 10 yeah I mean it’s not enough of a sample size and he’s getting used to a new system that the other guys have been playing for months and he he better he got to

Catch up bro like like you when you the point guard you cannot turn the ball over as much as he does g I agree with you I’m not I’m not nobody’s debating that he’s playing well I’m just saying to turn that into well they would be terrible without yeah of course they’re

Going to be worse without Donovan Mitchell every team’s going to be worse without their best player what what what what’s alarming to me is this and and and and take the hyperbole out of it just look at it this way yeah when you look at the way that they were playing

With Just Jared Allen and Donovan Mitchell and role players the that looks like night and day from what they’re playing now and they have starters back yeah but they’ve been playing well outside of yesterday’s game they won I mean they won 18 to 20 before yesterday what I’m saying to you

Is as you if you watch and you look at the games and you watch how they playing right when Darius Garland came back yesterday we’re still winning but most of the time he was like well where am I supposed to go in here and that’s why

You have the regular season for him to figure it out before the playoffs because there’s no arguing that they’re a better team with with DAR Garland then without him when it comes to the playoff time yeah good they beat up on all the scrubby teams they mostly beat bad teams

Without without those guys mostly I look at it like this I look at it like this and and I ask and this is the question that that you come in talking about right is Darius Garland let’s be honest with ourselves is he a max player of

Course not does anybody think he is he’s not worth the biggest contract in franchise history but that’s the situation that they were in at the time like right you either got to pay him or you don’t right it’s kind of like signing the a quarterback even if he’s

Not the best you’re GNA so he’s it’s the Watson deal in well no that’s well that’s when when they PA except ex trying to figure out except when they paid Watson I thought he was one of the five best quarterbacks and I’m still hoping he is so you had

Less less of a I never thought Darius scar was one of the five best point guards Darius when he signed that contract was one of the highest Rising fastest rising up and cominging guards in the NBA he was the one on the US select team he was the one that other

Guards were talking about like this guy is going to be now has he continued to elevate at the at that same level no probably not and part of that I think is the fact that he’s got to share the ball handling duties with another guy in the

Back court first it was Colin and then it was now it was Donovan and Donovan is a far superior better player than Colin ston like I know there’s still some people out there who think Colin is like some MVP in waiting but Donovan is a far better player than Colin seon so there’s

A there’s a dance that you have to do but usually when you’re the point guard you got the ball in your hands you’re running the offense and and that’s how it is but the Cavs ever since really since he’s gotten here that hasn’t been the case they’ve always had two creators

And that’s not necessarily he was the only guy what would he be we and and what would Evan Moy be if there was not who knows we don’t want to find out because we want Don you’re better with two theoretically yeah and the Cavs insist I haven’t had this conversation

With them in quite a while but at one time they kept saying Darius is is great playing off the ball we’ve got the numbers to prove it he’s comfortable playing in an off ball role it’ll work it’ll be fine yeah this has not been a great year for him but that doesn’t mean

That you blow the whole thing up and you move them out you’re not going nobody wants if he’s their best player they’re not good enough we know that we don’t even know if they’re good enough with Donovan is their best player very rarely very rarely in the NBA do you win when

Your best player is your point guard that’s right like very very rarely isah Thomas Steph Curry you can say Steph but look at all I mean Steph had trans Transcendent Talent around him the best still their best player and so did Isaiah Thomas had great talent around

Them yeah go ahead Mike well to Jason’s point about two ball dominant guards theoretically it works together and I’m not ready to sell my stock on the Donovan Darius pairing but you look in Atlanta they thought Deonte Murray and Trey young can play together those two clearly can’t and they’re gonna end up

Trading Deon Murray this offseason that’s been a disaster in Atlanta but one thing I did take away from yesterday is without Donovan and maybe the thing that Donovan does best that doesn’t show up in the stat sheet it’s constant aggression whether he’s attacking and scoring for himself Endor attacking

Drawing the defense kicking to the corner the defense can never really get set they’re always in constant motion trying to figure out how do we cut off Donovan what’s he doing and last night it felt like in just a one game sample size Darius was kind of playing with his

Food and going more east to west than north and south and it allowed Orlando to kind of set up their defense and Orlando’s a big team too like across the board from point guard to the center they have long they have length they have athleticism which is a bad match up

For an undersized Cavs back court but one other thing I want to point out and Jason I’m curious I know you didn’t watch it last night G I know you did but Evan Moy was aggressive early and then kind of disappeared for a little bit and then

Got aggressive again late but I thought without Donovan in the lineup this was a chance for kind of the Cavs to not necessarily change their entire offensive philosophy but allow Evan to be a little more aggressive in the focal point of things and it looked like that

Was the case early but he made a field goal with about six minutes left in the first half in the first quarter excuse me I don’t think his next field goal make came until the last minute of the third quarter and I was a little disappointed that he wasn’t a little

More aggressive with the extra opportunities that the offense allowed him to get without Donovan in the play it just it was just two things I noticed it it was just I think you bring up a very good point when Donovan has the basketball he’s he’s forcing the issue

It’s either I’m going to get to the rack and or I’m going to look to get my guys and if I don’t got it I’m moving the basketball when he comes off the pick and roll I I was just sitting there texting I was texting uh Lia and he was

You know talk about B I say Garland needs he needs to shoot more threes like he he needs to like when Sam Maro come off a screen he’s aggressive like if you give me an inch you better not go on that pick and roll give me an inch I’m

Firing the same thing with Donovan Mitchell like even when George Nang gets in the game he’s ready to shoot it don’t matter if it Go in or not yesterday it was more of a more probing like he keeping his dribble line of under the basket and then when he gets into a

Position where you know the defense collaps he’s just kind of looking to throw throw the ball and get the guys laid in the shot clock I and I get it you know CU they talked about it on The Telecast you know when you got the ball

And you darus Garing and you’ve been a point guard your whole life you used to having the ball it’s difficult for somebody to be like no no just change what you do now and that’s what you’ve been doing um I I think that’s more difficult than people let on um but for

Me I think it’s another alarming thing where sometimes JB like if it ain’t all going right like pull a lever over here right if it ain’t going all right hey give hey Sam Mar come on give me a spark in here or something or or or Hey listen

Evan Moy was aggressive he saw Evan getting the ball going down Court pushing the pace hey guys listen Evan got a he got a match up today and he’s telling him be more aggressive make sure hey guys Donovan a here we we need y’all to rest of y’all three

Y’all know what time it is y’all supposed to be super aggressive but it just didn’t seem like they was they was in that mode they were just kind of like you think that’s on the coach Jason to pull a lever well yeah to pull a lever

Is on a coach for spark I specifically get in their face about being aggressive is that or is that just you know is that up to the player to to to do it I think it depends on the moment depends on the situation I don’t know that there’s one

Blanket answer that covers everything uh to Mike’s like I’m kind of glad Donovan sat that game I want to see him sit more games down because I it’s one of the things Mike and I talked about on the podcast Mike said like what do you want

To see out of the Cavs the rest of the way and I said I want to see them play left-handed I want to see them do things they’re not comfortable doing because in the postseason teams are going to put you in positions to make you do things

You’re not comfortable doing so do it now play left-handed and that means Darius and Evan figuring things out together okay it didn’t go great last night so what it’s Orlando in February that’s the time for this tonight go right and to figure this stuff out and

To keep working on these things it it does you no good to put the ball in Donovan’s hands and have him go and try and win every single game you play in the regular season that does not help you in April May and June it’s good for

Him they do want to be the two seed I mean there is there there’s there’s a big difference yes yeah but I’m just saying it’s okay to have nights like last night sure because you learn from it and hopefully the next time it gets better and if it doesn’t well then

Hopefully the next time it gets better because you are building for the middle of April you’re not building for the end of February the only the only thing I will say with with that is I agree like you’re not going to just scrap everything because you had a bad game in

February against Orlando but the alarming thing is if I was JB if you’re not making shots okay if you’re trying to figure out the offense okay that’s cool but one thing we’re not going to do since the Knicks is we’re not going to come get punked we’re not going to we’re

Not going to get knocked around by guys and that’s not going to happen and the game was chippy last night and then after everybody’s all friendly shaking hands which is a little weird after they mudded the game up and and that’s what teams are going to do to the

Cavs one last St to kind of put just this is one number that kind of shows you the difference of Donovan versus no Donovan the Cavs attempted 22 three-pointers last night that’s their fewest since November 17th just weren’t generating the open looks they’ve been a the cabs are like remember the have you

Guys seen the original Bad News Bears movie yeah oh yeah and and when when uh what’s her name I can’t remember the Fe the female pitcher that ends up being on the team what you know they were terrible and then she became the pitcher and then all of a sudden everybody else

Played better too yeah every time she pitched but every once in a while they throw Rudy Stein back on the mound and the other guy is stunk again every time he was pitching that’s a good elevates the talent around yeah that’s right there you go

The Cleveland Cavaliers laid an egg against the Orlando Magic without Donovan Mitchell in the lineup.

Darius Garland and Evan Mobley both looked too passive and didn’t grasp the opportunity to carry the load without Mitchell in the lineup.

What happened to the Cavs offense without Spida and is it a long term problem to keep an eye on?

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