The Cleveland Cavaliers have unlocked a SECRET WEAPON this offseason

The Cleveland Cavaliers have unlocked a SECRET WEAPON this offseason

ladies and gentlemen we are back after a mini vacation back to New Jersey for a few days and as I was gone to caves made ured didn’t make a ton of moves that deserved a little bit of discussion so I had to on my off day on a holiday hop on the ultimate Cav stream to discuss some of the things I think need to be talked about after a wild cooky and wonky weekend for your Cleveland and Cavaliers all that’s coming up right now on a Sunday edition of the ultimate Cavaliers [Music] show what’s up guys we are back if you have a question comment concern any of the above leave it in the comment section I will get to as many of those as I can at the end of the stream here we’re going to go for 20 25 minutes talk some Cavs hang out and talk some ball with you guys as we always do I hope you enjoyed your fourth of July and whatever you got into this weekend apparently it was beautiful weather in Cleveland it was beautiful weather back in New Jersey as well but we are back and the Cavs have added to their coaching staff they have not added to their roster and we’re going to talk about some of the moves and lack thereof over the course of the next 20 that is one thing that’s especially important to uh to bring to the Forefront is how Kenny ainson is building and putting together his first coaching staff with the Cleveland Cavaliers as of 402 on Sunday afternoon the Cavaliers coaching staff consists of the Mari Carrol Jord uh not Jordan not what’s I’m drawing a blank on the name hold on one second here I just had this pulled up and then I closed my browser to hit live on stream so now I’m going to pull it back up here it is the Cav staff at of right now consists of five coaches Kenny ainson is your head coach Johnny Bryant is your assistant head coach we’ll talk about him in one sec they poach him from the New York Knicks deari Carol and Jordan not join the staff from the Los Angeles Lakers staff and then Dan jro stays with Cleveland and he’ll join Kenny Aton staff a hold over from the JB bicker staff era and the one thing that Kenny ainson stressed over and over and over during his introductory press conference was his desire to assemble a staff around him that is collaborative brings different ideas to the table and most importantly can help him create a back and forth open dialogue between the players and the staff to come up and corroborate on the best way for this Cavaliers team whatever the roster looks like to compete in the Eastern Conference and hopefully for an NBA championship when you look back at how Kenny ainson was run out of Brooklyn there was no secret to what his downfall was he was a grinder a worker a guy who demanded everything from everyone on every day in every situation whether it was practice shoot around a game a walk through you had to be locked in 110% he himself described his own coaching style as being a grinder and a guy that wears down players and fast forward from 2016 to 2020 to now 2024 and Beyond with some stints with tyou and Steve Kerr who are known as players coaches I think Kenny ainson has understood to a higher degree the need to a let go of The reigns a little bit and don’t have to essentially grind players down day in and day out to get their best results and two have other guys on the staff that hey if I’m a grinder and this is my style I need to have a balance on my staff of guys who aren’t necessarily of that same coaching style and that’s not a bad thing and the C secret weapon in all of this because when you look at each of these hires they’re not necessarily promotions for any of these guys Johnny Bryant was the associate head coach in New York he’s the associate head coach in Cleveland Dan perau we’re not sure exactly what his role in the staff will be but he’s staying on with a new head coach in Cleveland deari Carol Jord not they’re coming over once again not necessarily promotions but they’re just changing staffs part of the reason for that and this is a good thing this is not a knock this is a good thing is is Dan Gilbert’s willingness to open up the checkbook and pay coaches that Kenny ainson has circled and said this guy’s a perfect fit with me so here’s a little extra money to go take a parallel move and join this staff that we are assembling here in Cleveland now we’re going to talk about the moves in the roster and should they go into the luxury tax what that would mean the first apron the second apron why certain owners are willing to pay more than others and Dan Gilbert has never been shy about opening his paybook but when it comes to coaches and their salaries and a lot of it goes unknown in ter outside the head coach we always know what the head coach makes the other guys it’s usually an unknown the willingness to pay because it doesn’t go against the salary cap there’s no limit on spending for a coaching staff if you want the best sometimes you have to pay for the best and with Donovan’s persuasion with Kenny Atkinson’s persuasion with the ability to come into a new coaching environment and start something fresh build something from the ground up here in Cleveland with Kenny ainson who’s now here in his first season with the Cavs that’s an opportunity of a lifetime for a lot of these guys who maybe looking at their current situation prior to coming to Cleveland and saying I’m not 100% sure we can win at the highest level with this group and I’m not 100% sure if we don’t win at the highest level I’m going to be here and have a job here for the foreseeable future but there’s this person and this person being Kenny ainson calling me and saying hey I’ll give you a raise to come join a hell of a team in the east a team that has at least in their own minds Championship aspirations and come build something special here in Cleveland and I think there’s no better example of that than the Johnny Bryant example as the Cavs poached him from the Knicks the Knicks hired Johnny Bryant in 20120 to eventually help entice Donovan Mitchell to sign or ask to be traded to the New York Knicks that’s not opinion that is a fact part of the reason he was hired and he is a phenomenal coach in his own right Donovan has spoke extremely highly about him from their time together in Utah Emanuel quickley and Julius Randle both gave him the highest of Praise possible for how he worked with them individually with the Knicks but he wasn’t one of Tom tibo’s main guys back in New Jersey in the New York Post I’m going to read this word for word I tweeted out this morning but the New York Post wrote an article about the Cavs signing Johnny Bryan away this morning and they mentioned that quote this is from the New York Post tibidos still has the most the the assistance he hired and feels most comfortable with on his staff including Darren man Rick Brunson Daniel Brady and Andy Greer and I read that as well BR Bryant was brought in for a specific reason he was never necessarily quote unquote one of tibs guys he was a Donovan guy and now in Cleveland he has a chance to become an ainson guy on top of being a Donovan guy and he’s he’s a coach that interviewed for the head coaching position so clearly the front office felt highly of his capabilities now he’s going to be your top assistant with a player in their star Donovan Mitchell who is extremely comfortable with he has a knack of Player Development and a history and a track record of getting the most out of guys who have then gone on to become very very very valuable players in the league and you include that skill set on top of Kenny Atkinson’s Player Development skill set and you get this this mesh and collection of different offensive philosophies different abilities to converse and interact with your star players hell Jordan a and deari Carol spent the last two years in LA with LeBron and Anthony Davis you think they’ve learned a thing or two about how to handle a starred player and the communication back and forth between that entity plus they’ve worked with Endor played for Kenny ainson I just love the way the staff’s not done there’s still more pieces to be put in place but the way this puzzle is coming together and in my opinion Dan Gilbert’s willingness to open the checkbook to pay for some of the right pieces of the puzzle to make their way to Cleveland has been the Cavs secret weapon to the offseason thus far now I promise you will talk about the roster moves and the lack thereof in a sec but in terms of assembling a coaching staff which is half the battle you need your roster and you need your coaches the Cavs are putting together a coaching staff that makes a lot of sense we’ll find out these official titles if ainson will have a quote unquote offensive and defensive coordinator and who those will be we’ll find out who is more on the player development side and who is more on The Scouting and game prep side that that’ll all come into place but in terms of putting together a staff similar to how Kevin stefansky has done this offseason bringing in Mike Vel he brought in Jim Schwarz last year they changed up their offensive coordinator going from AP now to Ken dorsy they hired Tommy ree from the collegate ranks stefansky said hey I think I know what I’m doing but I want everyone else’s opinion to come together I want to take a little bit of that from you a little bit of this from you a little bit of that from you we’re going to put together the best game plan and the best strategy to win many many games in the NFL that’s what Kenny ainson is essentially doing for this Cav staff whether it’s getting two coaches from the Lakers getting a guy from the Knicks himself coming from Golden State and collaborating all together on the perfect offensive system the little tweaks the NBA runs a lot of the same stuff teams just run it slightly different than others so maybe Kenny ainson for example is uh is accustomed to running a double pin down on the backside for a shooter where the top guy ends up being the slipper and Jordan not says well hey we ran that in LA with Anthony Davis and LeBron and we found it way more effective if the bottom the first screener was the slipper let’s try it that’s the kind of collaboration you need in a coaching staff to be successful you look at the Celtics you look at the Nuggets you look at the teams over the last couple uh couple years who have been the most successful they have collaboration and creative minds coming from all over over and constantly changing up the bench to uh accentuate their head coach that’s the first step and I think so far at least through the first four hires of the Kenny Atkinson era the Cavs have done a terrific job finding and identifying the right people to put in place and then making sure they all work together from a basketball standpoint so so far on that end on the coaching staff side of things I think the Cavs have done a very good job assembling a not a roster but assembling a staff we’ll talk about FanDuel then we’ll talk about the roster in one sec I don’t have the actual FanDuel re Anthony don’t get mad so I’m going to wing it but you guys know I love sports and sports don’t Sports as much in the summer as I want them to so I have to log on to the FanDuel app so I can make sure I get my sports fixed every time I want it whenever I want it at the tip of my hands and the best part is FanDuel is giving out either boost or bonuses daily throughout the whole summer something new every day for everyone so make sure you log on to fanduel.com youss and make your first bet a big time winner get those free boosts get those daily bonuses it once again it is for everybody every day throughout the summer FanDuel the official sports book of the ultimate Cleveland sports show and the official Sports Book of Major League Baseball now that that’s out of the way let’s talk about the roster because as well as the Cavs in my opinion have assembled the staff there are some serious questions and some legitimate con concerns about the roster construction and the lack of moves the Cavs have made this summer when Kobe Alman looked at his offseason task list number one priority was resigning Donovan Mitchell check three years 150 million player option for the last year nailed it but that was an easy one number two on the offseason checklist was identifying a new head coach to replace JB bicker staff while Kenny ainson wasn’t my first choice he is certainly a terrific choice for the position and has so far put together a great staff in my opinion okay one and two on the checklist done and done you got your star you got your coach and then it’s time to evaluate the rest of the roster and so far the Cavs outside of drafting Jaylen Tyson with a 20th pick have done nothing zero zilch nada nothing they have not signed a single free agent yet they have not made a single trade yet the only move they have made is what I mentioned a second ago resigning Donovan Mitchell when you look at the rest of the Eastern Conference the Knicks traded for Miles Bridges not miles excuse me Mel Bridges making the Nova Knicks a reality the 76ers signed Paul George and Andre Drummond and they gave Tyrese Maxi an extension they got Caleb Martin and they seemingly turned a ton of cap space into a ton of valuable players in a way that it never never really pans out like teams have been tanking and opening up cat space praying for a big time free agent to sign with them and then they’ll turn the extra money into other free agents and it never pans out but it did for the Sixers do you know Paul George is the first NBA All-Star player who had just made an All-Star team to sign outright with a new team in free agency since 2019 it’s crazy it doesn’t happen nearly as often as you would expect especially with teams hoarding money the Boston Celtics resigned everybody they’re running it back the Pacers resign SE yakum resign Obi toppen uh who else in the East the heat they’ve lost some guys the bucks on the margin moves they they had two picks they’ve drafted they haven’t done a ton but they’re more banking on a full year of Doc Rivers and Giannis being healthy and Dame being healthy for for natural Improvement the Cavs on the other other hand are sitting there kind of waiting for the dominoes to fall and at first I said all right they don’t have a of money Isaac aoro and what happens with him in restricted free agency that’s going to depend on how much of the mid-level exception the Cavs have available to them so they’ll let the first Domino or two fall and then they’ll get aggressive there are some tier two free agents out there that made a lot of sense for this team on paper then a few more dominoes fell I’m like uh the free agency pool and the list of guys I think who make sense with this roster is slowly deteriorating but they have to sign somebody they can’t just run it back completely with the same roster that’d be asinine everyone else in the East improved you finished fourth in the Eastern Conference last year you got to do something and then a few more dominoes have fallen and now we are at the uh the bottom of the bin and there are still a few guys out there who on paper would make your team better but we’re talking marginally better there’s no one in the free agent pool left who is going to take the Cavs and catapult them up a entire tier in the ranking systems however you want to tier them right now where you want to group them in with Indiana and New York and Philly and Milwaukee or you want to put them below like Paul Reed who I think is one of the guys that make sense is it moving the needle from the Cavs from I don’t know 45 wins to 55 like you’re you’re you’re picking from The Bargain Bin now which doesn’t mean there’s no value but it’s significantly less value than if you were able to make some sort of Splash higher for a bigger name three in D Wing uh even a Caleb Martin a guy who Philly just got who I thought would have been a really good fitting Cleveland you know he’s not a five or six when Improvement guy by himself so then it comes down to trades and the Cavs when they’re making trades and looking at trades their biggest asset is Isaac aoro and the question I wanted to ask you guys which then I’ll give you my opinion on is how much value does Isaac aor really have so I want you to put in the chat and I’ll read some of these at the end of my point here what is Isaac ao’s value in your mind and do other teams covet Isaac aoro because if the answer is yes then you think a package of Isaac aoro and some sort of sign and trade might be enough to get you a valuable asset in return if you don’t think Isaac aoro is worth much then you really don’t have any trade assets to play with and it’s going to be extremely difficult to bring in any player of significant value without breaking up the core 4 which is a whole separate discussion that we’ve done and I’ll have again and again but I’m going to operate for right now under the impression that Kobe Alman truly wants to keep this core four together and has no intention of trading either Jared Allen or Evan mob or Darius Garland and certainly not Donovan Mitchell so if those four are off the table and you could say right or wrong I’m not telling you one way or the other I’m I made my opinion on that very clear I would break it up for the right opportunity but I’m not just going to trade one of them to trade one of them if those four are off the table I’m not quite sure what you could realistically get back with the asset the Cavs currently have and that goes back one further point that I want to make which is Kobe Alman earlier in his tenure as the Cavs president of basketball operations we call him the GM he’s technically the president of basketball operations people who want to correct us on that every time get a life it doesn’t matter he’s the one making the decisions Mike ganzy is the general manager technically but those two together are the ones making the decisions when he went all in on on Donovan Mitchell when he traded all the draft assets and he traded Lori Markin and Colin seon oaji he pushed most of his chips to the table and even after that the Cavs had limited assets to improve the roster but since since making that move the Cavs have been relatively complacent in their roster construction and I think it’s worth pointing out and I’m pulling up a tweet because I put together the exact moves the Cavs have made since then when you go all in on a player like Donovan Mitchell even if you get him to resign and now the Cavs have a concrete timeline of hey now we have to go make more moves you’ve already kind of boxed yourself into the situation because a you’re limited from a cap standpoint because now extensions for Evan Mooby and Darius Garland have kicked in and Isaac a coro’s price is going to go up and you made a significant acquisition last year and trying to get Isaac uh trying to get Max stru who you overpaid a little bit for but you had to overpay to get him the George and yangang contract in hindsight doesn’t look great but you had an opport before these extensions kicked in and everyone got more expensive to put more pieces around Donovan Mitchell to see who fits and who doesn’t and granted injuries happen last year I totally understand that but I look at this situation like like I look at a rookie quarterback contract in the NBA in the NFL Evan Mobley was making pennies on the dollar to what he’s about to make before his rookie Max extension which will be signed I’m telling you it’s gonna happen uh it’s just a matter of time if fron Vagner got the rookie Max and Evan Mobley will get the rookie Max and Jaylen green is going to get the rookie Max it’s just how it works uh I’d be shocked if it doesn’t I’m not reporting that I’m just I’d be shocked if it doesn’t players of Evans caliber get the rookie Max it’s just how it works whether it’s right or wrong we could argue but he’s going to get it he was on a cheap cheap contract his extension is gonna kick in uh Darius Garland’s rookie Max extension you had time before that became as high of a cat pit as possible to put other pieces around him and they did and and they they were uh there were attempts to be aggressive they just didn’t necessarily hit home runs like they thought they were the max dreu signing which one year on a four- year deal he could certainly play better but it was 16 million for a guy who was a truly Worth 16 million maybe not but you had to overpay to get him I get it the George theang contract in hindsight he was unplayable in the postseason since the Mitchell trade over the last two years these are the players that Kobe Alman has added to the Cavs to put them in a position to win a championship Sam Merill Max stru ammani Bates Craig Porter Jr Jaylen Tyson and George Nang that’s it I’m G read that one more time since acquiring Donovan Mitchell these are the players the Cavs have added to help Elevate them from a good team to a championship Contender Sam Merill Max stru ammani Bates Craig Porter Jr Jaylen Tyson and George Nang in that same exact time period the Knicks have added Josh Hart M Bridges Dante Devan chenzo OJ anobi uh three draft picked and they made nine trades the Celtics added Drew holiday Chris ABS porzingis Xavier Tillman they made three draft picks and they made 10 trades along those same lines the Bucks have added Damen Lillard dlon Wright tan Prince uh they made five trades the heat a lesser team Terry Rosier Josh Richardson Kevin love Alec Burks Thomas Bryant uh haime hakz Jr kle wear they’ve made four trades you can make the case that Kobe Alman has been aggressive but hasn’t been aggressive enough that’s in the eye of the beholder you can make a case that he has had enough time to find ways to package assets together and there are always ways to create assets it just a matter of what you want to part ways with to put the Cavs in a better position they are in today which is not a ton of assets to work with limited cap space and a roster that is pretty damn expensive in terms of their core but is that core good enough to compete at the highest level I’m I’m just giving you the questions to ask and then you can formulate your own opinions you can Bank on the internal development that Kenny ainson and Johnny Bryan and the rest of the staff brings to elevate Evan Mobley and Jared Allen and hopefully Jaylen Tyson and Max Drew and darus scarland and Donovan Mitchell and in theory that all sounds great but is the internal Improvement enough to to keep up with the likes of the Boston the New Yorks the philadelphias the Milwaukee the indianas of the East it looks like the Cavs are banking on that and part of the reason I think they’re banking on that is trying to get inside the head of an NBA frontof executive is a fruitless exercise because the way we look at something is differ than the way they look at something NBA GMS and NFL GMS and Major League Baseball GMS and I’m sure hockey GMS and I’m sure soccer GMS in the Premier League are stubborn and they all think as they should that they are smarter than everyone else in the room that’s why they got the position they’re at and when you make a draft pick whether it’s an Isaac aoro or it’s an Evan moley or Darius Garland or a jayen green or a Kade Cunningham or whoever a Scotty Barnes you want to be proven right and you’re gonna give these players every opportunity to make you look smart and Kobe Alman I feel like has boxed himself in this of the we don’t want to break up the core four and we’ve drafted well and look at all the moves we’ve made on the margins that once again you can argue and there are stats that say they’re probably better than some people think and then there’s the ey test that says I don’t really care about the numbers I don’t trust them enough in a big moment and there’s there’s validity to both sides of that to where you have to make a steadfast and hard decision on what the route you want to take in the future is and from the Cav standpoint I feel like Kobe is looking at his roster and saying I’ve done a damn good job building a roster and I want to see this through so I’m going to be extra patient unless I’m blown out of the water by a trade offer I’m not giving up these guys that I myself was in charge of bringing to Cleveland I don’t necessarily think that’s the best course of action but I also am willing to understand if that’s the decision that Kobe wants to make it’s not the one I would make but I understand the logic and the thinking behind it and that brings us to the Isaac aoro trade value is Kobe looking at Isaac aoro in one way saying hey him for cam Johnson straight up once again just just just throw a name out there that’s a fair trade and then the the Nets are looking at that and Shawn marks is saying no it’s not like we need significantly more okay what else do you have got three second round picks that’s not going to move the needle for the Nets or Shawn marks Bobby marks was on ESPN a couple days ago and I believe I have the quote so let’s listen to what Bob B Marks had to say it’s a 18-second sound bite on Isaac aoro this is Bobby marks of ESPN Cleveland’s got Isaac aoro who’s a restricted free agent um look at maybe signing trade options for him U maybe a bigger wing on a um on a uh on I don’t want to give away the beans here so keep an eye on Cleveland as far as signing trade options for Isaac aor here that was on Wednesday we are now Sunday and there’s been nothing of substantial value to corroborate what Bobby Mark said the only guy on paper who makes sense for the Cavs no take back let me rephrase that he’s not the only guy on paper who makes sense it’s the only guy who I think his value is pretty equal to the player you’d be getting in return with a few extra assets would be Dorian FY Smith of Brooklyn cam Johnson is the prize in a perfect world a couple picks Isaac a coral and Isaac and then uh Carris Levert for cam Johnson would make the Cavs better today but is that enough for the Nets to part ways with Cam Johnson who’s arguably their most valuable asset right now especially when you look at their GM Shawn marks who turned down two first round picks for Dorian finny Smith straight up last year now he’s gonna trade away cam Johnson for aoro Levert in three seconds I I just can’t see it happening I don’t think he’s a realistic possibility just because if he was truly available I have to imagine other teams who are also looking for three and D ways can put together a better package than Isaac aoro who has shown flashes in the past but was unplayable in the playoffs so the net like yeah we love to take a chance in the guy who literally couldn’t stay on the court for you last year in the playoffs or the year before and is now going to make 50 60 million whatever the contract number ends up at and a couple second round picks that there’s just no way that’s enough in my opinion is it enough for Dorian finny Smith I I do think that’s a conversation that Alman and Bobby Mar and uh Shawn marks excuse me will have and if they haven’t already will definitely have in the future but does Dorian finny Smith Make You significantly better I’m not sure he’s a huge upgrade but the one thing he does provide is a little more roster flexibility DFS finy Smith is a 34 unlike aoro who’s a 23 and the Cavs currently have a plethora of guys on the wing who play the two3 stru uh Jaylen Tyson Levert all those guys now instead of having aoro in that mix you have a little more roster flexibility to put VY Smith at the four in small ball lineups and get some of the other guys who play the two3 combo position sub minutes especially Jaylen Tyson who I’m very excited to see as a rookie this year so he’s a guy I think makes sense if we’re looking at other options would Atlanta be willing to trade Isaac aoro and change for DeAndre Hunter who makes the exact same amount of money is Cam Johnson they just drafted Zachary Zachariah Ray who plays a three and D position I have absolutely no idea what Atlanta’s trying to do they traded to Jon Murray Hunter’s not on a crazy contract and he doesn’t need the ball a lot which is a perfect fit next to uh Trey young so would they be interested in a c I don’t know I just don’t think in the big picture Isaac has a ton of value as a trade asset and when you put together the Cav’s best potential package of Isaac aoro Caris LeVert who’s on an expiring contract in a couple second round picks or 2031 first unfortunately I just don’t know if that’s getting you anyone of value that’s going to significantly improve the Cav’s chances of competing in the East it could slightly improve them I’m not saying you can’t get better with that package I just don’t know if we’re going to get the type of return in a trade for that package that I think we all expected the Cavs to make in some way shape or form when the offseason started I’m talking the Brandon ingrams of the world the bigname Acquisitions who could change the complexion of this entire Cavs roster I just don’t think the Cavs have the assets or the desire to part ways with the uh they have the assets I just don’t they have the desire to part ways with the assets needed to make a splash like that so yeah that’s kind of where I lie right now the Cavs are just sitting patient I don’t know how you could feel good about your standing in the East unless you know something that we don’t in terms of Atkinson’s plans to how that how he wants to use and develop these guys and then if that is your your big swing is internal development you just have to have your fingers crossed and do a couple extra Hill Maries before bed every night that these guys can make that jump it you it’s not it’s not crazy to think that if the Cavs and all their players take a little jump and some more than others Garland in particular and mo in particular take these big jumps the Cavs in theory should have four players that are top 55 guys in the league now the Celtics had five guys last year but not many teams could say they have four guys in the top 55 if they take the jump they need and if you have four guys in the top 55 and they don’t pan out then there’s clearly a fit issue and I kind of think there’s a fit issue already but I once again I don’t agree with it but I can see the logic of Kobe saying I think these guys are all better than their value is on the trade market so let’s run it back but I think there’s a glaring hole still in a true need for a three and D Wing a big three and D wing on this team and I’m just not sure the Cavs can acquire that player without breaking up the core four which if he was available for I would but I ain’t Kobe Alman my name is Mike Lucas I go by McNuggets and I play D3 Hoops that’s the only thing me and Kobe hav in common we both play D3 Hoops that’s about it all right let’s get to some comments I got a 100 in here so uh yeah I’ll read what I can hopefully y all enjoyed it I missed you guys Oh and before I read these comments I got something to say this is a sincere sincere thank you guys the feedback I got from the sit down with Kenny Atkinson was uh was pretty special and it meant a lot to me and not just me but it meant a lot to the Cavs because I had a few conversations with the Cavs afterwards from a PR standpoint and uh they want to allow us to do more of those one-on-ones moving forward uh with players and such so thank you guys for watching thank you guys for enjoying that I’m glad it came out as well as it did I’m glad the feedback was as positive as it was and I just want to say thank you guys because part of the reason the Cavs are going to extend this invite to me again is they saw that you guys enjoyed it so much and when they see a positive reaction to something they go hey well let let’s run it back so essentially I just wanted to say thank you guys for uh for watching it for liking it for commenting on it uh the words meant a lot I don’t usually read the comments I did on that one um which could go one of two ways but they happen to be positive so seriously thank you guys and I’m looking forward to doing some more of that with players and assistant coaches etc etc throughout the season so if there’s someone in particular you want to see me try and sit down with for a little 10-minute chat on some hoops uh shoot me a message you can leave a comment here obviously I’d love to talk to Donovan and the bigname players that may be further down the line but uh if you have a suggestion on someone you think is worth having a combo with let me know and we will try to set that up uh in the near future we’re going to read some of these comments here and then we will uh we will we we will get on with our Sunday it’s beautiful I’m gonna go for a little bike ride after this let’s see let’s see let’s see I have over 200 in here so oh yeah Sean what’s up Shan Ferguson I told you I’d give you a shout out last time and I missed it so there’s your there’s your shout out uh Evan for 49 says mike with Detroit continuing to chip away at their cap space What can aoro be expecting now MoneyWise I still think the Pistons and I could be wrong I know they signed Tobias Harris I know they got Malik Beasley for one year six mil like hey Cleveland like if that’s the price why the hell aren’t you in the Malik Beasley Market I mean he’s not a great player by any means but he certainly could help as a three-point shooter his defense is a little overrated but he’s a guy if push comes to shove just for depth purposes I think one year six million is a bargain I still think he’s looking anywhere between like 11 and 15 million somewhere between four for 44 and four for 60-ish somewhere in that range I do think it would be hysterical if he reunited with JB bicker staff in Detroit and they had a lineup and I mentioned this on the last po I did with real Cavs fans of Ron Holland who they just drafted the Thompson twin who they just drafted last year uh Cunningham jayen ivy Jaylen Duren Isaac aoro none of those guys can shoot it’d be the ultimate zag in the history in the history of basketball so uh Jay Got Juice says no assets no money what are y’all expecting that’s kind of what I’m I’m putting out there I I don’t know what the realistic expectations is unless you want to break up the core 4 because the Cavs do have assets the question is will they part ways with said assets and there are always Ways by the way there are always ways to acquire assets and find Cap room there’s always way ways it’s about getting creative Daryl Mo does it as well as anyone and look at what they just did this summer now the Cavs could do that in theory in theory by like trading away Donovan uh Darius Garland for in a similar situation to what the the Sixers did with James Harden it’s not easy but there are ways to go uh also Shout Out b Naylor for the go-ahead home run by the way that is uh big time Big Time Big Time B skill said I was thinking about somehow some way to get Brandon Ingram and cam Johnson uh 0% chance you get both 0% chance they get both uh I mean Ingram’s the one that the Brandon Ingram sweep Stakes are shrinking just like the suitors for Isaac aoro now that the Kings got demard de R rozan it it feels like the Pelicans and the Cavs are doing some sort of slow dance here and they want Jared Allen it’s a matter of will Kobe Alman part ways with Jared Allen I who knows but it’d be Jared Allen and something and I have a someone sent me a trade proposal it’s actually the perfect time to do this hold on someone sent me a trade proposal on Twitter this morning about Jared Allen and Brandon Ingram and I wanted to read this for you this is from uh don The Amazing Spider-Man who suggested the Cavs trade Jared Allen and Isaac aoro in a signing trade to the Pelicans for Brandon Ingram and two first round picks and then flip those two first round picks is part of a next trade to the Jazz for Lori marinin two first rounders and darus scarland for Lorie marinan which would make your core four Donovan Mitchell Brandon Ingram Lori marinan and Evan Mobley that is a very fun Twitter trade but I don’t think in any world you’re getting two first round picks plus Ingram for Jared Allen and aor I think that’s a pretty straight up I’m not sure there’s picks going any direction I think Allen for Ingram is is pretty uh it’s pretty straightforward plus they just gave up picks in the dejonte Murray trade so I’m not sure how many picks they even have left to trade and if you had two first round picks I’m not sure Garland and two first enough for Lori marinin either he’s the biggest trade asset the market right now it’s funny he actually may as crazy as it sounds he may have more trade value right now than Donovan Mitchell did when the Cass acquired Donovan Mitchell because of the contract which you’re gonna have to sign him to a big extension but uh he’s gonna get four first round he’s gonna get a Mel Bridges esque deal so that was a fun trade proposal on paper I just can’t see any way that uh the Cavs would get two first for Ingram and then I don’t think Utah would be interested in two first in Garland for marketing so uh fun we’re going to keep on moving let’s see let’s see let’s see let’s see let’s see uh Rumple forkin says remember the dagger ooro hit to beat Brooklyn a couple years ago just before his knee injury he was showing potential aoro is not bad and he does have potential the question is will he ever develop a consistent enough jump shot to be a threat in the playoffs we’ve seen two playoff series in a row or two seasons in the playoffs in a row teams just didn’t guard him and when you have a perimeter player AKA a non-big who they can just not guard it essentially makes you unplayable on a uh in a playoff situation which which hurts your value and this RS up with Roland Walker says he has good value as a Young Piece with an upward trajectory on a reasonable contract yeah he has some value some value it’s just is it enough to get a bigger piece like a cam Johnson who is a better player and makes slightly more money than a coral May on this new deal I’m not saying he has no value I just don’t think it’s uh as high as some people may seem to believe on Twitter let’s see let’s see what else we got what else we got latte Larry says the only small forward the C should be eyeing is DeAndre Hunter I mentioned him earlier he he’d be a fit and definitely an upgrade if if the Hawks would be willing to part ways with him once again is aoro Levert and second rounders enough I I don’t know it’s so like what we think is enough in certain deals and just like that that trade proposal for two first with Ingram what we think and what GMS think almost never align and it’s it’s so hard to get inside their brains it’s so hard to get inside their brains uh Rusty says we don’t have a single first round pick to trade to Brooklyn the next first round pick that Cavs can trade on 99 and a half perc sure on this is 2031 I’m 99% sure on that 2031 let’s see what else we got let’s see what else we got trade Darius garlett and George Nang and Isaac aoro for Jimmy Butler and Kevin Love yeah yeah if you could if Miami would do that sure but I I just don’t know why Miami does it takes to to Tango in all these deals and I think that’s the hard part of making fake trades is does it work for both teams and in that one I just I don’t think they would ever go for that so let’s see uh this is from Mitch fet what do you think of adding a guy like Sadiq Bay as a three and D Wing if a trade doesn’t work out another guy who I think would be a a good signing I don’t think he moves the needle in any particular way but certainly not a bad fit a guy I’d be interested in absolutely but once again just like uh you know Caleb Martin or Paul Reed he’s a good fit with more size than the Cavs current three and D wings but I just don’t think you know if if that’s your offseason move to brag about it’s a pretty disappointing big offseason move let’s see Floyd why do people call me McNuggets on our very on our third show uh Joe Thomas called me McNuggets and it just stuck there’s really no reason besides that if Joe Thomas calls you something uh it is what it is Roland I read one of your comments uh I met it up there I appreciate you guys tuning in we had over 400 in here today that was pretty sweet uh Austin says how do you feel about amanii Bates and his current development the C put out their summer league roster I think it was yesterday and it said ammani Bates was listed at 190 pounds he then replied to a tweet that said he’s up to 196 which means he’s put on if my math is correct like 17 pounds of muscle if you’re going to believe the 196 rommani Bates I have no reason not to believe him about 20 pounds of muscle I’ll be curious to see how that impacts his first step quickness in the summer league but ammani Bates is the type of player who going into his second professional season should dominate the summer league I I don’t mean like oh he played well I’m talking dominate he is a guy who is set up to thrive in those situations where it’s a lot of iso ball a lot of creation one-on-one there’s very limited plays they run they just say roll the ball out go hoop that is a situation for ammani to thrive and if he’s put on 20 pounds essentially and hasn’t lost his first step quickness and he hasn’t changed the jump shot form with the added muscle this is a guy who should be in contention to win Summer League MVP I’m serious now does that translate to traditional basketball in the regular season we’ll find out but ammani Bates is in an absolute perfect position to thrive in the summer league uh let’s see let’s see let’s see and then Pitts say could he evolve into the shooting guard that Tracy McGrady was hey Tracy McGrady is a Hall of Famer and a legit uh legit top 70 NBA player of all time so if he can hell yeah I mean that’d be the best case scenario uh he has the uh the tools it’s can he can he kind of put it all together and that’s the question that he had coming out of the draft that was the question he had coming out of high school the the skill set is there it’s the willingness to play basketball the way a coach wants you to play that has always kind of been amman’s biggest knock and in the G League last year you didn’t hear that often so hopefully he’s taking the necessary steps to progress to being like that um let’s see let’s see let’s see Ro Rusty says yes 2031 is the next pick they can trade Adam says the Cav and Pelicans are playing chicken to see who budges first that that legitimately could be the case by the way that legitimately could be the case uh bow down before you serve trigger said if you could only have one cam Johnson or Hunter I think Johnson’s a better player and he’s more healthy more frequently so I would go Johnson but I think they’re relatively uh relatively comparable um there was that rumor this weekend about miles Bridges and the Cavs interest in him he ended up signing back with the Hornets I’ll just say this from a basketball standpoint miles bridg has made a lot of sense from an off- thec Court standpoint miles Bridges from all uh reports and you know he was arrested and charged uh not a great dude and I’ll just say I’m fine with the Cavs not pulling the trigger on Miles Bridges so that’s G to wrap it up I appreciate you guys tuning in I missed you guys we’re back on the show Monday we will discuss this uh in more in depths more in depth excuse me throughout the week hopefully the Cavs have a move for us to discuss in depth tomorrow but at this point we are still sitting on the fact that Jan Mitchell resigned the Cavs are putting together a coaching staff and other than that we have nothing to talk about appreciate you guys I missed y’all I love y’all we’ll see you tomorrow peace

The Cleveland Cavaliers haven’t made any splash moves on the court yet this offseason, but Kenny Atkinson’s staff is coming together very nicely.

His latest hire — stealing Johnnie Bryant away from the New York Knicks. Bryant interviewed for the Cavs head coaching job this summer.

Bryant is tight with Donovan Mitchell and is known for being one of the better player development coaches in the entire NBA.

Isaac Okoro is still a sign-and-trade candidate, and he’s about the team’s only asset if it wants to acquire a legitimate 3-and-D wing. So what is Koby Altman waiting for?

Plus, what does the new staff envision the final roles for Darius Garland & Evan Mobley becoming?

Well discuss all that and more on the Ultimate Cavaliers Show.

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