What is the Cavs’ plan heading into the 2024 NBA Draft? Wine and Gold Talk podcast

What is the Cavs’ plan heading into the 2024 NBA Draft? Wine and Gold Talk podcast

what up Cavs Nation I’m your host Ethan Sans and I’m back with another episode of The W and gold Talk podcast I’m joined by your favorite beat reporter Chris Fedor Chris how you doing today big fella and I’m doing great how are you Ethan I mean it was generally a really quiet day up until about 10:30 10:00 like and then woes just started going nuts on on the Twitter slxe whatever you want to call it um and I think we need to start there Chris because that pertains to a majority of the conversation we’re gonna have next which is about the NBA draft coming up on Wednesday which we’re gonna have this show air at 5: a.m right before it so people get the our thoughts for the Cavs and things of that nature beautiful how that work out but mentioning what woes went off about on Twitter we start with the team in New York and actually both teams in New York with maau Bridges getting traded from the Brooklyn Nets to the New York Knicks it is a monster trade that only sends uh bojan bonovich and four unprotected first round picks a protected first round pick via the buck and an unprotected uh an unprotected pick Swap and a second rounder to the Brooklyn Nets for maau Bridges I mean Chris this is big time and I’m already knowing that Cav fans were upset when the Knicks got better with ogan and noi during the trade deadline now they’re getting better in the off season I know there’s going to be an uproar if the Cavs don’t make a move now but what do you think about this move for the New York Knicks and how it could pertain to the Cleveland Cavaliers because now I think we can officially silence the news about Donovan Mitchell potentially going to the New York Knicks yeah I mean I think that was silenced a little while ago the Knicks missed their chance on Donovan a couple summers ago and it felt like um they had set their sights elsewhere um I don’t know that this affects the Cavs in any sort of way to be honest with you Ethan um I don’t think they’re sitting here today saying okay now we got to counter this move by the Knicks obviously they’re going to monitor the trade Marketplace see what’s out there for them see what the cost would be see if those guys would theoretically be a better fit than what they already have here but every indication I have as of right now and things can change things can always change um but every indication that I have right now is that the Cavs are committed to the core four and it’s about finding um pieces that they can put in place around the core for uh when they were having conversations with a bunch of different coaches throughout their coaching search including Kenny Atkinson it was about how to get the most out of the core for it was about how to get the most out of Evan Mobley and Jared Allen together is there a way to work around their limitations um same thing when it comes to Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell and a big selling point to the Cavs when it came to Kenny um was his ultimate vision for Evan Mobley and and the the the way that he wants to use him within the offense um the opportunities that he wants to give him within the offense uh the way that he has a plan in place for his Player Development and how he thinks him and Jarrett can operate together as a tandem um he had really really good ideas from what I’m told about how that can still work for the Cavs especially on the offensive end the floor so every indication right now is about how do we add pieces around the core 4 not how do we find a way to to maximize the trade value of Jared Allen or how do we find a way to reconstruct this roster by using Darius Garland or Jared Allen in a trade for a significant piece that comes back here um but for the Knicks I think this is a smart move obviously he fits the team there the Nova Knicks are being built you know that you’re going to have high level chemistry you know that Mel Bridges is going to be reliable and available he hasn’t missed a game since high school um and I think in the role that he’s going to be in for the Knicks second option third option not the number one alpha um where he was miscast in Brooklyn uh that is going to benefit him and I think that’s going to benefit the Knicks greatly because think about you know all of the pressure um all of the responsibility that that was on the shoulders of Jaylen Brunson especially when the Knicks were dealing with so many injuries throughout the course of the the the second half of the season and throughout the course of their playoff run um so this gives them another reliable scoring option a three in D type player um somebody that can play both ends of the floor and my big question now Ethan is what happens to OG ogn and Obi obviously didn’t like the way that negoti ation were going between him and the Knicks and the kind of contract that he felt like he was going to get from New York and he wanted to test the free agent Marketplace and he’s going to have an opportunity to do that but like does this change the Nick’s view in any sort of way about how much they want to um invest in OG how much they want to keep OG and if he’s available this off season that becomes a guy that a lot of contending teams are going to Target um but I think there’s still a chance that the Knicks try and bring him back and then if they bring OG back after making this trade for Mel Bridges uh then you’re talking about a legitimate threat in the Eastern Conference a a legitimate impediment um to the Cavs taking the next step that they would want to take so I was I was getting ready to formulate my question to you about how the Cavs could potentially get OG and Obi because you you teased the the Twitter vers the Twitter fans and saying who gets OG now and I mean everybody was like us question mark and as soon as I was trying to configure the words to put together to say that Wes just came out with another tweet saying the Knicks are still determined to keep ogn anobi in free agency but the ability to resign Center Isaiah hardenstein becomes more difficult now because the Knicks are seemingly loading up on Wings to match up with the NBA champion Boston Celtics and that makes a whole lot of sense because we knew that a lot of these teams especially guy especially teams that felt like they were on the cusp of challenging the Boston Celtics especially in the East that they were going to do anything they could to do that but Chris we had talked about previously ogn and Obi being a guy that the Cavs will look at and like you said a lot of teams are going to look at him if being becomes available in this free agency and if the Knicks can’t hold on to him how hard do you think the Cavs would go after him this offseason especially knowing that they want to maintain the core four yeah I don’t see a logical Pathway to it happening um you’re talking about paying big big time money um and giving up Assets in order for for something to happen and signning trades become incredibly difficult um to begin with and and I just don’t think that the Knicks have much of an appetite for allowing him to leave and and seeing him join another Eastern Conference Contender or Another Western Conference Contender because here’s the thing Ethan we understand that two-way Wings in the NBA are a premium position and if you have those kinds of guys uh you are going to ask for a bounty in return um or you’re not going to make them available think about what Miguel Bridges just went for like that was a hall he was also the centerpiece of the Kevin Durant deal you know what I mean so like that’s the kind of value on a player like Mel Bridges on a player like OG anobi think about what the Knicks had to give up in order to get OG so if you have those guys number one you’re hanging on to them or number two you’re asking for a Bunty for them and I just don’t think the Cavs are in a position right now Ethan to give up a bounty given everything everything that they gave up for Donovan Mitchell they don’t have the draft Capital they do have um intriguing players like Darius Garland and and Jared Allen guys that would have value around the league um one of those guys could be a theoretical centerpiece in a blockbuster type trade um but the the price for those kinds of players whether it’s OG whether it’s Paul George um whether it was Mel Bridges who a lot of people felt like nobody was going to meet Brooklyn’s asking price until the Knicks did tonight um it’s it’s to me that’s going to be too costly for the Cavs to go down that road um and and the Cavs are not going to have enough assets that are going to appeal to the team if the team was even willing to move off of that guy even Brandon Ingram um for all of the questions about him and all of the the conversations that he’s going to be traded at some point this off season it’s still going to be pricey to go out and acquire him um despite the fact that he’s coming off a not so great year didn’t play all that well in the playoffs and he’s got a contract situation that any team that trades for him is going to have to figure out um and it’s not going to be all that appealing to trade up um give up the assets that a team would have to give up in order to get him then turn around and pay him a whole bunch of money after that so even him um while his value is not to the same level as Bridges it’s not to the same level as ogn and Obi um that type of player is expensive or just not available on the marketplace for what the Cavs um would be willing to give up and you think about this Bridges trade they went and gave up a hall of picks and that is also something the Cavs simply don’t have because of what they went and did to go get Donovan Mitchell so saying that they could give up pieces is probably the only logical thing that they could do to go get ogun and OB and at this point how logical is that not very but uh the other thing and speaking of Trades and picks I mean the Houston Rockets went and made a big deal also today and it was said W tweeted that the implications of the Rockets Landing the Suns picks um was for Houston to trade for Kevin Durant I like all of the news that was coming out and then he just like BL like puts a little blur about about this Kevin Durant supposed uh opportunity to go to Houston and then almost retracts it not even like 10 minutes later and goes he’s been told that uh as intrigued as the Rockets have been about Durant they’ determined the youth to use they they are determined to use the Suns picks to be aggressive on deals elsewhere Now Phoenix has made it clear that they want to run it back with this group and Houston is Seeking a major upgrade now like I I mean it makes sense that Phoenix would say that they trying to run it back especially with all the guards and all the wings that are being combined into Super teams as of now but Chris for me it makes it even more of a certainty that either Darius Garland or Evan Moy need to step up or the Cavs are going to have to go and get somebody because now it’s not only two guys that we’ve mentioned on teams that are being put together that Donovan Mitchell needs help Donovan Mitchell needs another star another guy on that caliber and it seems like these these we’re almost almost it feels like to the age again of the super team with the Knicks the Boston Celtics and then you also think about the Phoenix Suns but they’re on the bottom tier of that because they haven’t had as much success but Chris what do you think about the implications for the Houston Rockets who have a young core of guys like alfen s goon amen Thompson uh those kind of guys that they have been building around to try and get another star quality player to go in there and maybe have to give up some of those assets to get there well there are a few teams that um people around the NBA are expecting to go out and try and make some kind of Splash this off season um and a few teams that are capable of going out and and making that kind of move and Houston is obviously one of them because of the the young talent that they have already on the roster um and because of the the draft Capital that they have into the future um if a team is going to trade away one of its quote unquote stars in many cases not every case but in many cases they’re going to be going into a rebuild just like Brooklyn is now going into a fullon tank rebuild um it’s not about now it’s about the future so if a team is going to go that direction you have to you have to satisfy their desire to go that direction and you have to trade them assets that are going to allow them um to to to jump start that rebuild in that kind of way if you think about when the Cavs um traded for Donovan Mitchell uh Utah was obviously uh a contender at the time you can talk about if they were a legitimate Contender and what tier they were on in the Western Conference but at that time with Donovan Mitchell rud go be um they were a contender they were coming off you know multiple 50 win Seasons multiple playoff appearances but they decided at that point okay we reached our ceiling with these particular guys so now we have to shift into another Direction now we have to go into full-on rebuild mode so we want young players we want draft picks we want those kinds of assets so you know for Houston that’s going to go out and and look to acquire that level of talent for I think San Antonio is looking for somebody to pair alongside vikor wanyama um I think the Philadelphia 76ers are lurking as a threat um to make some kind of move similar to that I think the Orlando Magic are a team that um people around the NBA are trying to keep their eye on to see what they’re up to and how they’re going to enhance their Roster Miami always lurks as well so those kinds of teams um if they’re going to go out and acquire that kind of talent that kind of win now Talent that’s going to allow them um to you know go from good to Great uh playoff team to legitimate Contender however you want to classify it uh the team that has that star that quote unquote star is probably going to be looking at all right we’re going to go a different direction going to shift into rebuild mode and they’re going to want draft picks and they’re going to want young upand cominging players on on team-friendly controllable contracts and that’s what you know San Antonio has to offer that’s what the Houston Rockets have to offer um that’s what to some degree uh the Orlando Magic have to offer if they’re willing to make those offers if they’re willing to make some of those guys available um so those are the teams that I continue to hear that that NBA organizations are are keeping their their eye on and it’s not surprising that that Houston would have their eyes on Kevin Durant and whether Phoenix would be willing to break up that group or maybe they have their eyes on Brandon Ingram or maybe they have their eyes on Paul George um there is a belief around the NBA that that is a team um that is trying to take the next step and they’re trying to um not skip steps but accelerate their timeline for contention um in a way that requires them going out and adding another piece to what they already have there all right Chris speaking of draft picks which we have done a lot already in this podcast the NBA draft is tomorrow and I think we need to get into the different options and the different selections that the Cavs could make with the number 20 overall pick in the 24 NBA draft and Chris I went ahead and let the Cavs fans know my top five of the PE of the potential prospects that the Cavs could keep an eye on I went with um Jaylen Tyson Tristan D Silva Carlton Carrington Johnny Fury and Kyle filipowski so that was my top five for the Cavs what do you think what’s your top five and who would you uh be putting up like that yeah I think we have some crossover there for sure um I like Kyle filipowski I think he would be an interesting fit for the Cavs I like the we kid from Indiana I would have him on my list I know that the Cavs are high on him as well um I I certainly do have an appeal to Jaylen Tyson I wish um from the Cav standpoint that he was a little bit taller that he was a little bit longer but I totally understand the appeal to him um he’s a big versatile guard um his scoring average bumped up he basically did everything for cal um so I know that he’s on the Cav’s radar and he should be on the Cav’s radar at number 20 and and he’s on my list too um so those are my top three in no particular order I also like Johnny Fury and I don’t know who’s going to be there at 20 that’s the hard thing Ethan is that they’re 19 pick in front of the Cavs and some of the teams drafting in front of the Cavs are playoff teams and some of the teams drafting in front of the caves immediately in front of the Cavs are um Lottery teams rebuilding teams that may want to take an upside swing as opposed to a help now player um so jacobe Walter is somebody that that I think has a ton of potential um he’s probably going to be a lottery pick but if he slides a couple of spots um he would certainly be on my radar and I think he should be on the Cav’s radar as well like if he was 6′ 7 6’8 I was talking to an executive about this earlier today if he was six foot s if he was six foot eight as opposed to six foot4 um he would be a top five pick he might be a top three pick in this particular draft because there’s so much talent there but it’s just you know where does he play at the NBA level is he a one is he a two um if you do play him at the two um are you okay with that those size limitations um are you okay with the fact that he’s a good athlete but not necessarily a great one he’s got longer arms so he’s longer he plays bigger and things like that um but like he’s kind of like caught in between it feels like and sometimes those guys where teams are trying to figure out okay what is he where are we going to use him how does his game Translate um how much can we buy into the upside stuff like that you know sometimes teams end up allowing those guys to slide a little further down the board for a variety of reasons but if he’s there in that range of 20 he would be my fifth guy with everything that we’ve talked about this off season already about where the Cavs are wanting to keep the core four intact reportedly um do you think that they are looking for a guy that can come come from the draft and immediately be an impact guy or you looking or are they more do you think they’re more looking at a guy that could come and fill in a role and still get work in the G league and still do those kinds of things I honestly think Ethan it depends who’s there at number 20 um I don’t think the Cavs are looking at this pick saying all right we’ve got the 20th pick in the draft we need him now I don’t think they’re looking at it that way um they have guys that that are more NBA ready they couldn’t get consistent minutes last year even though this team was dealing with a variety of different injuries uh Craig por JR could not get consistent minutes Sam Merill could not get consistent minutes so you’re going to try and tell me that somebody that they draft at number 20 is going to come in and and get consistent minutes over those guys over Tai Jerome I just find that hard to believe um unless there are significant changes to the roster so I think the Cavs are looking at this situation as we don’t have to be beholden to a specific um archetype we don’t have to be beholden to a certain position we don’t have to be beholden to a certain age demographic like Tristan D Silva is ready to come in and help a team right now he uh played overseas um he had a bunch of experience in college he’s older um he’s got more of an NBA ready body so like that’s somebody who theoretically could come to a place um and help out a team immediately uh Tyler KCK from Marquette is somebody who theoretically because of his experience because of his age um because of his maturity level could come to a team and help out uh right away Baylor shyman from kraton is another guy like that who’s older who’s more ready right now um does doesn’t do a lot of things great but does many different things well those kinds of guys I think are going to be on the Cav’s radar even though they’re older guys even though they’re more um win now guys but just the same as some of these younger guys with a whole bunch of upside and untapped potential I think they’re on the radar for the Cavs at number 20 as well and if they happen to to take somebody that is more of an upside swing that is more about the future future and they send him to the G league for um a long stretch of of their rookie season I think they’re totally okay with that um I I just think they’re looking um to to get somebody that is going to be an asset for them in a potential trade down the road or is going to be an asset for them um when it comes to the roster construction moving forward because as this team gets more and more expensive Ethan and it’s going to especially with the Cavs hopeful to get something done with both Donovan Mitchell and Evan Moy soon um this team is going to get really really expensive and really topheavy and having you know young players early into their contract on a team-friendly contract really helps you with roster flexibility um optionality um salary cap flexibility all that different stuff can be really beneficial into the future so um I I do think the Cavs are looking more at this number 20 pick um if we had to characterize it as like a luxury not a necessity and that’s a really good place for a team to be in like the Cavs yeah I mean best available situation for sure I mean I think there’s a lot of questions being asked about how quickly they can adapt when they get to the NBA talking about whoever they go and get because there was no expectation for Craig Porter Jr and then he came and like you’ve said before was a revelation in his rookie season and now it seems like for a lot of Cavs fans that is the expectation for whoever the next rookie is because how are you GNA have an undrafted rookie come in and get a full-time contract his F first year and then also going to have a number 20 overall pick and he’s going to be stuck in the g- league for however long and and I don’t think in this situation you have to hold it against whoever they go and draft that he was the number 20 overall pick like right depending on who they get depending on the age of the guy depending on all of the things that he experienced in college that’s going to differ how he adapts to the NBA I was really high on on if you’re we’re giving top threes I was really high on Jaylen Tyson I mean I watched some of his highlights from California like you said he was able to do everything he felt like he was bringing out the ball he was explosive he was able to knock down his shot I read some profiles on Jaylen Tyson and they were saying that he was um getting a lot of work in on his three-point shot which you know I love for this Cavs team um but I think it’s important that you also have the idea of Kyle filipowski and Tristan D Silva like you said obviously Tristan D Silva is and Kyle filipowski may not be there at the number 20 pick but Kyle Philip your article about him talked about the uh him being kind of comparison comparing to Lowry Markin in and having that potential for a three big lineup again and we know how much Cav fans enjoyed that we know that he also can grab boards he can shoot the ball from the outside so it wouldn’t be like he’s uh breaking into the paint every possession and clogging it up as much as Evan moley and Jared Allen seemed to this last season and also Tristan the Sila like you mentioned is a guy that has had a lot of experience is from Germany got overseas experience and that is a different aspect that comes in but if you look at it as well if you go and get a guy like Johnny Fury sure he has the pedigree he has he’s a freshman though he’s young like and some of these guys correct correct and and it was more so on on the NCA tournament like it it was last minute and then you also think about these young guys that are potentially showing a lot like Johnny Fury they’re 18 19 years old yes reminder of ammani Bates still being young as well and needing that kind of development and I think that’s really important that you can’t get away from as a fan of this team and also wanting to get to the next level the Cavs have a good roster and I don’t think that can get lost but this this off season it’s felt like already people have been like we need to go do something well they didn’t do something at the tra deadline and ended up still getting to the Eastern Conference semifinals so but what do you think about uh the expectations being placed on this rookie class especially by the Cavs organization and the Cavs fan base so a couple things um just for clarity perspective uh from what my sources tell me the Cavs are going into um this first round the 20th overall pick and they’ve got you know 10 to 12 guys that are clumped together in in a tier that they believe will be in that 20 range um they’re also looking at it like six to eight of those will probably be gone and if they feel like there are enough of those guys in that same tier that are still left at 20 and they don’t love a guy um and they don’t think like one separates himself from the other I’m told that they are willing to trade back a little bit a little bit further down in the first round I’m also told that they’ve had conversations with a number of teams um that have second round picks including teams that have multiple second round picks like Indiana and the Cavs have um asked those teams number one is your pick available and number two what would the cost be for us to get a second round pick because the Cavs do not have a second round pick they do not have a day two pick and if you remember this year the draft is moving to a two-day format Wednesday is is round one and Thursday is round two so those are two pieces of information um the other thing is Kenny Atkinson um had a conversation with one of the the members of the Cavs front office and that member of the Cavs front office said hey do you want to be involved in this draft process do you want me to send you a list of guys that we’re looking at at number 20 and Kenny basically said no I’m good on that front um we trust you we trust your scouting so I don’t think that they’re um looking at this pick also as like what kind of offense is Kenny ainson going to run what kind of defense is he going to run what kind of player would fit his style specifically to him you know what I mean I think they’re looking at it as um who is the best available Talent um and they’re not saying okay we can’t take a point guard because we have Darius Garland because we have Craig Porter Jr because we have Ty Jerome and they’re not sitting here saying well we can’t take a center because we have Jared Allen because we have Evan Moy and Evan Moy is going to be the backup center and all those different things I I just think the only thing at this point Ethan that they would probably be hesitant to draft is a guy who cannot shoot because they understand the value of shooting they understand how important that is in any system including Kenn but it’s not specific to Kenny’s it’s any system they also understand you know they have the ISA aoro thing that they have to work out when it comes to restricted free agency and grabbing somebody for example like Dunn from Virginia would be a tough sell on this particular team right maybe on another team where they already have enough shooting and they need somebody like him who is an elite perimeter Defender who has a bunch of limitations on the offensive end maybe that’s a little bit easier so like that’s one of the guys that that I would say that they would hesitate on but but I don’t think that they’re looking at this situation saying we can’t take this position we can’t take this position we can’t take this age group we can’t take you know this guy because he doesn’t fit Kenny’s system or we should give bonus points to this guy because he does fit Kenny’s system um I think they’re they’re having as much of an open mind as you could possibly have and they’re operating like a team that went to the Eastern Conference semi-finals right like there are other teams where the draft is just more important to them and to the future of their organization um the Cavs ones operated like that you know what I mean they don’t have to operate that same kind of way coming into this year and they’re not operating like that either uh the other thing is you know some of the guys that that could potentially still be on the board at number 20 um could also go higher they could also go on Lottery they could go in the top 10 um the Cavs didn’t get an opportunity I’m told to work out um all the guys that they wanted to um and and look an individual workout held at a practice facility is probably like five to 10% of this whole evaluation process but you get to meet with a guy in person see who he is see how he interacts with your staff um see how he moves look a little bit closer at the shooting form and stuff like that but you know there were a number of guys that the Cavs felt like were going to be in that 20 range um where the agent said we’re not coming to you because of the way that your depth chart sets up because we don’t believe you’re going to draft our guy or because our guy is going to go earlier than than when you’re on the board at number 20 so that’s something um to keep in mind too so a couple things on on what said about the Kenny ainson thing first of all I mean does that not show confidence in his Player Development skills like he said I’ll be hands off you bring in who you guys think are best and I’ll make them into yeah and I’ll make him into whoever you want him to be like right that that says a lot about what he wants not only his perceive notion to be on the organization he said I can we you talked about it Evan MO is going to develop under uh Kenny ainson Isaac aoro if he signs again as a restricted free agent Darius Garland if he maintains on this organization like that is something that is that stands out to me like I I that’s brand new news to me and and understanding that takes a new look for what Kenny ainson is gonna bring that we already knew Player Development was at the top but that’s a different level of confidence that I wasn’t sure we were gonna get but also you mentioned uh the Cavs wanting to pick somebody that can shoot I mean I think we’ve harped on that the the entire off season that even even you were doing it since last year with after the Knicks series the Cavs need Shooters that’s that’s not foreign that’s not uncommon that’s not new news like that’s that is something that has been said for the last two years and they’re trying to not only develop like we’ve been saying the guys that are inhouse but also looking for guys that can add those things and competition breathes growth like if you just have a guy that you bring in from the draft who’s a rookie and he’s outshooting some of your guys that have NBA experience at practice that’s going to raise some heads and allow them to gain their necessary ego and say h maybe I should get in the gym a little more and shoot these threes obviously that that pertains to some players more than others but Chris it it just feels like this draft is going to be interesting one because of the level of talent that is in it good and bad but also talking about just where the Cals sit and how important they’re looking at it but I do have a couple questions from sub texter about some things that they want to know heading into this draft and I just want to run through them really quick there’s not a whole bunch but okay uh Scott from Greensboro North Carolina wants to know your exact percentage that the Cavs make a trade tomorrow he wants your prediction uh I don’t think they’re going to make a trade tomorrow uh so I’d put that lower on the Spectrum um 50/50 is Midway through so probably like 25% um I I think if they make a trade it’s to get a second round pick somehow get a second round pick because there are guys that that came in to work out that impress the Cavs that it’s probably too high to take them at 20 um but but but if they found a way to get a second round pick between 30 and 40 that’s something that they would be interested in doing because they like them so much um so so I think if they do make a trade it would be on day two not day one that’s that’s my feel right now the next question comes from Chuck in Youngstown he says considering the actual draft pick and potential draft day trades what current cast player if any has the most to lose on draft night I mean I think this is a new situation so everybody’s coming in understanding that they are NBA ready nobody on this team now is a rookie so they have different experience levels but Chris what do you think about this question from our guy in Youngstown well I think the easy answer is Sam Marell Craig Porter Jr SL George Nang um and and George would be like way further down that list because he’s going to have a role on this team there is no doubt about the fact that he brings value if he remains on the roster he brings value he spaces the floor he can shoot from the outside I would think that he’s going to have a better more productive season in year two with this team um in a system that is going to benefit his skill set a little bit better I’m also told that there’s a plan in place that Kenny already has to go deeper than what JB bigger staff did we’ve talked about this a number of times Ethan like every coach has their own um comfort with with how deep uh their rotation goes some guys are more comfortable with a ninan rotation other guys 10 other guys 11 um I’m told that Kenny Atkinson one of the things that came up in conversation um during his interview process was his desire to tap more into the depth use the bench a little bit more um so I do think George obviously is going to have a place in this rotation um if if he remains on this roster but like if they draft Kyle filipowski that kind of skill set that makes George Nang valuable is one that filipowski is also going to have and then obviously it comes down to NBA level Readiness but you know there are guys in that 20 range that do some of the things that George does from a skill set standpoint um um so I think you know that puts him a little bit in danger of having his minutes cut into maybe possibly eventually in the second half of the season but the two that stand out to me are like the bubble rotation guys because pick number 20 is not getting in your eight-man rotation right pick number 20 is not getting in your top nine pick number 20 is you know depending on who it is is Guy number 11 in the rotation number 12 in the rotation the guy that the Cavs would go to if if somebody’s in Fall trouble if somebody’s hurt if he’s ready for that level of responsibility in that particular role and you know the bubble rotation players if you want to classify him as that it’s Sam Maryland is Craig Porter Jr I think I think for me I agree with you I mean obious maybe Tai jome too I didn’t even think about Tai Jerome because my God so out of sight out of mind because he what like 30 minutes for the Cavs in his first season so Ty would be the other one too yeah I that’s where I was gonna go I was gonna say Ty to Rome definitely would be my number one on that list to be wary but I mean for me like I I I definitely agree with you because those guys are lower on the totem pole they got less minutes but with Kenny ainson wanted to go deeper and things of that nature that opens up the opportunity for Sam Merill who is a specialist who learned more so what he’s going to be against this this coming season from last season because that was the first time he was seeing people guard him like they did last year Craig Porter Jr was a guy that earned a uh full-time contract in his first year we talked about Craig or earlier in this podcast and what he was able to accomplish in his rookie season and the organization as we’ve learned from this past season likes both of these guys so right when it comes to who needs to be wey about minutes that’s more so what I would be thinking rather than like oh we’re not going to see them again because this guy coming in to take their spot also most of the guys that we’re looking at don’t play the same position as Sam Maro or Craig Porter Jr um so that might help their case as well but Chris last question from subtexts before we get out of here it comes from Evan and Linhurst he says I remember LeBron traded just about every first round pick had when we were trying to win championships are we really going for it are we trying to develop a young team first of all um There are rules that they have to abide by when it comes to this particular pick uh based on you know what they’ve already traded into the future um so that’s part of this the other thing is I think it’s a little bit of both right I mean I think if if you’re an organization like the Cavs and you feel good about the number of wi now players that you have on this roster um the number of guys that can help you take the next step and compete with some of these teams in the Eastern Conference um then I think it’s good to balance it out with some younger talent that you know could become a big part in the future or could become trade bait in the future um or could help um balance the the salary cap sheet that you have that is going to be really really bloated at the top you know Jared Allen is eligible for an extension too it doesn’t mean that the Cavs have to give him one but he makes $20 million Darius makes close to 40 Donovan’s going to make a whole whole bunch of money um Evan Mobly is going to get a huge contract extension offer this off season so you know to have somebody that’s young that’s early into their contract and it’s a team-friendly contract that can be beneficial the other thing that I would say is when when LeBron is on your team um it is Championship robust okay it’s not Championship or bust for the Cavs um they’re not at that stage yet they’re still I hate using this term because it’s a Kobe Alman term but I think it’s right there’s a Runway here for this team to continue to grow continue to get better um to have a longer contention window that they don’t have to operate the way that the LeBron James teams operated for those four years right for them anything other than a championship getting to the NBA finals was a failure um if if the Cavs had the salary cap situation the same one the luxury tax situation as a team like Boston as a team like Milwaukee like the clock ticks a different kind of way for certain teams and I just don’t Phoenix I just don’t think that the Cavs clock is ticking as rapidly as the Cavs from those four LeBron years or from you know some of the other teams that I mentioned um currently in the NBA that stand in the way of the Cavs potentially um getting to the Conference Finals or the NBA finals or winning a championship yeah I mean Chris we we just talked about the New York Nick’s Making a Splash in the trade market that may change expectations but I know and Mitchell has definitely gotten more fuel on the fire especially with it being the Knicks um for this next season and trying to get to Eastern Conference Finals which would mean more than likely that they would have to get past either the Boston Celtics or the New York Knicks but I just saw for some fun things to end the podcast Chris because we got into some seriousness now we got to get into some fun things I mean I just saw on Twitter or X or whatever you want to call it I I don’t think I’m going to call it X unless I have to formally but um the new New York Knicks are already on the phone the villain villain the W villain NOA boys are already on the phone together on FaceTime M was on with the phone Jaylen Brunson Dante D venzo like these guys are like and I remember W tweeted and then Jaylen Brunson just tweeted oh my God this is a situation that players especially when you talk about the camaraderie and the chemistry of a team that already is like the Knicks like you you can only get so good when it comes to the chemistry and having a starting lineup majority made potentially of guys who played in college together like that’s insane but also to say somebody else was in New York today that we know of and that’s Donovan Mitchell he was at the New York Mets versus New York Yankees game the series and um Donovan’s at the game tweeting his butt off and Aaron judge gets up with the bases loaded and go and he tweets if Aaron judge hits a grand slam I’m gonna delete my Twitter promptly not a minute later Aaron judge yeah and and Donovan Mitchell says just quotes his tweet and says gtf you can figure it out what what that means if you know what that means for the listeners but his Twitter is still active by the way it is I’m on it right now trust me I mean oh my goodness and and Donovan’s doing these like day in a life videos on Instagram like you so we get to see him in the gym doing some jogs at his home over his Louisville Cardinal uh uh little face paint thing I mean oh my goodness so yeah it it’s it’s been an active day on social media for the nighttime crowd and that’s the beauty of getting to record this podcast around 10:30 11:30 at night I was um I was pumped about the Aaron judge home run I was watching that live on TV because I actually took him on FanDuel Dinger Tuesday so him hitting that home run was really really beneficial to me I’m sorry that it wasn’t so much to Donovan Mitchell and if that means that you know he has to delete his account and and stand by his word which he’s not going to by the way but if it did mean that I I’m sorry for him but but I benefited greatly from that home run I mean Donovan also got to take uh B BP ahead of the game and I the swing doesn’t look horrible swing doesn’t look horrible I uh it’s yeah but he thinks he can play I know he does me oh my God I remember I remember we were talking during the season last year with Darius Garland when he was uh going to throw out the first pitch that the Guardians gave and I was like what are you gonna throw he was like probably some off speed I’m like come on dog and Donovan obviously was there and the next day they came to the to Rocket mortgage Fieldhouse and all I heard was Donovan talking smack you saw how slow he threw that ball and Darius was like I told them I was gonna throw something off speed I was like come on dog no I mean legitimately he believes that if he was not in the NBA and if he committed himself to the game the same kind of way that that he could be in the majors he believes that hitting a baseball is the hardest thing to do in every sport I will stand on that until the day I die uh Donan Mitchell is a premier athlete but he is delusional it a great player back in the day from everything that I have heard um about his talents before before he he shifted his entire Focus to basketball he was a great player I believe he was a short stop yeah but he also ran into his catcher and broke his hand that’s when his career ended so that that that I remember that story I remember writing about that when when also when Darius Garland I was like didn’t Donovan play baseball and I was like doing all this research I was like why did Donovan stop playing broke his hand or something some part of his arm running into his catcher trying to catch a pop fly so that’s the end of that story I I think the catcher like broke his jaw or something so Yik safe to say Donovan’s Still Still the strong man that we know him to be but I once um I once plowed over a guy at home PL playing competitive softball at softball world and like he chased me into the Dugout like wanting to fight me and I said hey man like these things happen at softball world this is a competitive league like your guy took our guy out breaking up a double play at second base like don’t get all angry with me that you were blocking the plate and I needed to find a way to get to home I wasn’t going to jump over you like I had one option with where you were standing he was not pleased they like targeted me the rest of the game it was ridiculous but I don’t know how you get tar I don’t know I don’t know how you get targeted in his slow pit softball but that’s insane anyway um but I I I had a similar situation this past weekend I still got the the Battle Scars to show it this uh we were playing softball I’m in this league for that’s ran by some of the restaurants around Cleveland and or sponsored or whatever it is but I was I was running home trying to get it inside the park home run and the catcher just was like standing in the Baseline but it wasn’t the catcher it was the third basem cuz he he had sifted down because they didn’t want the catcher to catch the ball cuz apparently that person wasn’t good so the third baseman is literally standing in the Baseline and I promised myself earlier in the season that I was not going to slide in this league and I definitely broke my promise trying to get around uh the the catcher I was safe did not get tagged but uh that it it definitely left the scar that uh or just a just a little scratch it’ll be fine um so cleaning up one thing and moving away from softball if we must uh because I’ve seen a lot of questions about this I just want to make it clear um there is no such thing as player tampering in the NBA so you know what these Nova boys were were blatantly doing like that is not illegal um there is team tampering and teams can get in trouble if they quote unquote camper but players have free reign to recruit who they want to talk to who they want to there is no such thing as player tampering if there was such thing as player tampering you know how many you know how many organizations would be busted at this point especially over the last 10 to 15 years where player empowerment and player movement has become um so much more a part of today’s game I mean these These Guys these guys plot these guys talk about it I mean it’s it’s not a situation where the Knicks are going to get in trouble because Josh Hart and Jaylen Brunson and Dante D venzo like openly have been recruiting Miguel Bridges since I don’t know however long it’s been like every time the Nicks and Nets play each other there is footage of these guys talking to each other and covering their mouths and stuff like that um but there is no such thing as player tampering so we we can end that that conversation I mean the Cavs would be in a lot of trouble because Donovan Mitchell recruited three players from last that’s right the the it doesn’t just happen just because the New York kns I’m sorry to tell you and like you know one of the places where it’s most prominent is with Team us USA basketball and I’m fascinated to see um what if anything happens in the next couple of years coming out of the Olympics because of that team that they put together like does ant get somebody um to join him in Minnesota does one of those guys find a way to get ant that’s just an example right but you know there are often USA type connections that can lead to that sort of thing and I think it’s going to be fascinating to follow that just throwing it out there and I think that’s a great way to end today’s podcast on the Team USA olympic no but with all that being said that’ll wrap up today’s episode of the wand and gold Talk podcast but remember to become a Cav’s Insider and interact with Chris and Me by subscribing to subex we’ll let you know who the Cav select with the number 20 overall pick in tomorrow’s draft if you don’t have access to watch it yourself so to get this information sign up for a 14-day free trial or visit cleveland.com Cavs and click on the blue bar at the top of the page if you don’t like it that’s fine all you have to do is text the word stop it’s easy but we can tell that the people who sign up stick around because this is the best way to get Insider coverage on the Cavs from me and Chris this isn’t just our podcast it’s your podcast and the only way to have your voice heard is through sub Tex y’all be safe we out

In this episode of the Wine and Gold Talk podcast, the hosts discuss the players the Cavs could target with the No. 20 overall selection, the importance of the draft for different teams, potential draft day trades, and the impact of the draft on current roster players.