Which player on the Cleveland Cavaliers needs to STEP UP THE MOST with Evan Mobley out?

Which player on the Cleveland Cavaliers needs to STEP UP THE MOST with Evan Mobley out?

All right, we got one last topic in today's show. It is brought to us by FanDuel, America's number one sports book, guys. You know, Sundays move fast, one big play, suddenly everything feels a lot different. That's what makes live betting with FanDuel so exciting. You're not just watching the game, you're reacting to it in real time. With FanDuel, you can place bets as the action unfolds. Every drive, every momentum swing, and every highlight moment. So, if you want to be right in the middle of the action, visit fanuel.com and place your NFL live bets all season long. FanDuel, the game moves fast and so can you. All right, guys. We're gonna talk Cavs to wrap up today's show. Evan Mobleyy's out for the next two to four weeks with a calf strain. Jason, with Moy out of the lineup, >> who on the Cavs roster do you believe has to step up the most to kind of change the trajectory of this team? >> Donovan Mitchell, >> keep going, buddy. Keep going. Keep pulling the rope. >> They are a disaster right now. >> It's a mess right now. It's It's a mess. Uh, who has to step up, man? anybody like pass the hat. Does anybody want to contribute to this? >> This was supposed to be the easy part of they had they have six they're in the middle of a streak of six straight games where they're playing the worst teams in the NBA >> coming off a week off >> and they've had to come back in the fourth quarter in both games. The first one they did win. The second one they lose in overtime when they don't score a single point in overtime. Chicago stinks. Chicago got off to a good start. What they lost like 10 in a row or something or nine out of 10. Charlotte's terrible. New Orleans is terrible. So until Christmas Day where they play the Knicks, it's terrible. Like why why would you even watch right now? Honestly, >> I mean I told Mike they got they should win five of six in that in that stretch coming out of that week off and they've already dropped one. >> Didn't score in overtime the entire overtime. How is that POSSIBLE IN THE NBA? >> Darius Gar hasn't happened in a decade. Glad >> the team is >> What's that Mike? >> Uh team hasn't gone scoreless in overtime before Sunday night. Yeah. >> In a decade. >> It was 2015 was the last >> I can't believe it happened at all. This is this is >> I'm I'm team JB Bickerson. >> This is the problem. >> Who's to step up then? Give me a name. Stop touchdown. >> Jaylen Tyson. I said it when he when you ask Jason. They Jaylen Tyson been the only bright spot for the for me in the Cavs this season. That period for the past >> six, seven games. Jaylen Tyson has been arguably one of the best players on the Cavs in my >> the only one with heart. >> The rest of them DG ball last game. Shout out to DG. I mean, that's the right answer is Darius. It has to be Darius. >> He did and they just lost. >> Well, what about Jared Allen in the PAST WHEN >> WHAT ABOUT HIM? >> Jared Allen can't get on the court in the fourth quarter or even [laughter] >> he's been the guy who's played well in the past when Moley's been hurt. >> I told you about three years ago about Jared Allen. Yeah. Three years ago. I told you this and this. He's a role guy. >> You know, you know, you know what's going to happen? >> Donovan is going to turn into the Donovan show. Overutilize himself. >> Get hurt. get hurt right before the playoffs like he always does, >> they'll be out in the second round. >> I mean, the two scariest >> second round, they're not winning the first round without Donovan Mitchell. >> The two scariest words in the NBA right now are calf strain. >> We talked about that yet last week. Like >> that that's the whole season. >> The the entire league, this is a thing. And I mean, our John Hollinger wrote about it and about the grind of the NBA Cup and the NBA the next day had a letter to the editor in the New York Times about no no get your facts straight here. So, this is a very very sensitive topic right now. >> 82 games. Never going to cut it. >> The NBA is a >> to me is awful right now. It's never been worse. >> So, here the Thunder's going to win. >> I do disagree. You need to just fast forward to the finals where the Thunder wins. >> I just find it completely unlockable. >> This is the problem when you start penciling people in, y'all. We We cannot just because there's other injuries. I I've always had an issue with this. There was injuries with the with the Pacers. There's injuries with the Knicks. And every single year with this Cavs group, what we tend to do is we just make it where it's like, oh, by default, since the Cavs are have the same people and people are injured. No, every single year we do that, it's another team that beat them. They lost to three different squads. They get beat by >> The Celtics are without their best player >> and and they're still smashing. >> They still have a better record than they >> still they still giving you buckets. Like that's the problem. So, I'm looking at this team and now that you got Evan Mobley with the with the the Achilles injury or the strained calf. Strained calves is a nice little cute word. >> That could be a precursor for a torn. >> That's that's that's a small cute little word for a slight tear. I'm just telling you what it is. And then you got a guy like Mobly who you're asking to do more. You're asking for him to have the ball. You're asking him to move and cut and be a creator. That takes a lot of toll on your body and and your lower body. So >> what's his what's his injury? >> Calf strain. >> Calf [laughter] there. I mean it's >> Oh, well you pack that. >> They're across they are across the league. Calf strains are >> Well, I want to get back to something. I said that the NBA to me is the least watchable it's been in my entire lifetime. Why Mike disagrees? Why? Because s a lot of the best players there's too much resting >> and so >> everybody's hurt. >> Well, why guys used to just play? How come they didn't get hurt then? >> They're more athletic now. >> It it >> Well, but they're not in good enough shape. They're not in basketball shape. >> I mean, if you're more athletic, you can do a lot of crazy I >> did superstars play more often back in the day. >> This is a really long nuance discussion. >> Okay. But but >> how how deep do you want to go? >> Not not that deep, but [laughter] >> surface level answer superstars. Answer >> make me right more in the 80s and 90s than they do now. >> Yes. >> So that mean that's part of the reason the game was better cuz they played. >> Has the game evolved? >> The game has evolved. >> They're also bigger. >> They're bigger faster. I agree. >> They're more talented. >> Now wait a second. Wait a second. [laughter] >> This is where we get carried away. There's more depth of talent. I don't I don't buy that the top players are more talented. There's more depth of talent. You're missing the bigger point in all of this. >> The bigger point is that every team plays the same. No, all they do is chuck threes and it's boring. >> You're changing the topic now. Let's go back to the injuries. The injuries, I believe, >> a big part of this is the specialization of sports >> and you're doing the same thing over and over and over and over and over and not you're not using different muscle groups. And it goes back to the trainers we were talking about. Everybody's got a train. Every quarterback in America now has got a trainer, high school quarterback. But when you're playing one sport, when you're specializing in one sport and you're doing this and you're only working those muscles over, they they get their kids, you know, every parent thinks they're there's probably all these kids here, their parents probably think they're going to play in the NBA. None of these kids are going to play in [laughter] the NBA. HE'S WAY >> TO KILL THEIR DREAMS, ADAM. >> SORRY, GUYS. >> I'm just teasing you guys. Maybe one of you will [laughter] play in the NBA, but probably not. Hey, hey, >> you're not big enough. YOU'RE NOT BIG ENOUGH. GET OUT of here. [laughter] >> Hey, he's tall, BUT HE DOESN'T LOOK ATHLETIC ENOUGH. >> It It worked. >> I'm just kidding. I'm just kidding. >> It worked out for our parents. They said, "You going to do something. You going to figure it out. You'll play three different sports the year round." They go to the PARK AND PLAY. KIDS DON'T DO THAT ANYMORE. THEY'RE ON THEIR PHONES. THEY DON'T MAKE ANY PLANS on their own. >> I'm sure these kids probably played outside. >> Raise your hand if you make plans with your friends and you actually go play sports on your own with not organized. >> All right. LOOKS LIKE [laughter] we'll see if they are like one of the things with basketball is when you go watch I'm I'm a big fan of like Rico Hines and some of these open runs people don't understand these guys are playing it's I'm not even talking about Olympic years these guys are playing in the summer three four five times a day in the summer and they're going hard that's watch those games G than this >> in the 80s they sat on the couch and smoke cigarettes They Yeah, right. But they were going too much, Jason, BECAUSE WE ACTUALLY HAD GUYS BEATING EACH OTHER UP IN THE PAINT. It was physical. This game is so boring. >> He wants to go back to the physical and they're already hurt, right? [laughter] >> Chuck threes. THAT'S ALL THEY DO. EVERYBODY CHUCKS THREES, MIKE. AM I WRONG? >> There's more threes being taken than there ever has. That is factually correct. But when you say every team plays [laughter] the same, that just means you're too not b I'm going to call basketball stupid to understand the differences in how teams get to the shots. >> You just that's all you got is insults because you got no LEGIT ARGUMENT. >> YOU'VE BEEN INSULTING PEOPLE FOR THE LAST 11 MINUTES. >> THAT'S ALL RIGHT. >> YOU SAID HE'S NOT ATHLETIC. YOU SAID HE'S too short. [laughter] >> I'm keeping it real. >> Jason. Jason, I got a question for you. >> Come on. >> Bull keeps saying the league is not as physical as it used to be. And in a certain extent, he's right. They don't they don't close line guys down in the paint. Do you think if Bull came to a game and was sitting in the first two three rows and could actually see the physicality of the game? >> I sat at a Cavs playoff game. I was sitting on the court. Kevin Love almost fell on my lap. >> It's not the same. >> How do you get them seats? >> I got people. [laughter] >> My question though, do you think Bo would be surprised at how physical the NBA still actually is if he >> I understand it's physical. I understand they're great athletes. I find the style of play I Here's the sad part. >> So, it's a you issue. Here's here's the here's the the sad part. >> They're better athletes today than ever >> is that go ahead the NBA could be the best sport on the planet, >> but because there's a there's a lot of because analytics again, and I'm an analytics guy, but analytics has really been bad for the NBA because it leads guys to to playing very similar styles. Mike, don't tell me there's not a very similar styles with most teams. I know it's not every team. I like Houston. Houston's actually fun to watch. Why? Cuz they don't cuz they actually have some more physicality. >> They like post up basketball. EXACTLY. I I DO TOO. >> You're telling me you don't prefer that basketball? >> Here. Here's the thing. I I'm going I'm going to go scientifically. It is scientifically proven >> that between your formative ages of between say 15 and 30, right? >> Those are your prime years. So, you would probably say music during that time was better too. >> Way better. MUSIC. NOW WE GO. SEE? SEE? SO, music is better. Sports is better because that's your wheelhouse. You know that I think football's better now. >> Well, you listen you listen to the things that And by the way, that era is the golden era. It's Jordan. It's Bird. It's Magic. >> That was the best. >> It It's They give you narrative. They give you that. It was the guys that would beat the crap out of each other. The Celtics, the Pistons, the Knicks. >> You probably Patrick Ewing. What >> do you like hockey? Just out of curiosity. >> Go Jackets. >> Hockey's bor hockeyy's boring. >> Blue Jackets. >> It's fun in person hockey, but I It's boring to watch on TV. >> You don't give a rats. Do you know why Jackets? >> They're not doing well. They're irrelevant team. They're not doing well. >> They are the most irrelevant team in all of sports. >> No, the Sacramento Kings. >> Who just wrote that article saying that? >> Bill. Bill Simmons did. >> But this current if you Can you imagine if you had these current NBA athletes playing the 80s style? It would be great. You know, I know they're a bunch of softies, but they'd have to toughen up. And it would be great. It would be exciting if you saw real postplay. Uh there there are clips on the internet. >> Yeah. that talk about that show Michael Jordan just getting to the rim with no touch. Just just think >> so. You want to go back to 9286. >> You want to go 86, right? >> Yes. >> Like like the final score 9286. >> Jason, I don't care about how many points I scored. It's just chucking threes. It's boring. I would go back. >> I got a question. Hang on. >> By the way, Larry Bird Larry Bird and Michael Well, what did Bird average for his career? >> One sec. >> 29. Bird be averaging 40 a game and Jordan be averaging 50 a game if they played. Now I'm not a three-point shooter. I think I've told the story. >> Bird would have been Bird is not a three-point shooter. Go ahead. >> I think I've told the story before like circa 2000ish >> when it was like the Sixers were in the finals and the Nets were in the finals and it was like >> disparage my Nets. >> It was like 88 84 NBA finals. >> Jerry Kangelo and David Stern. That wasn't the case in the 80s, >> but it was the physical style that >> But they were scoring a lot of points in the 80s and it was still physical. >> Well, you're going to ruin my story. I still my story. Kangelo and David Stern went in the room and said, "We're going to change the rules. We're going to end the game." >> The league voted it down and said, "We don't want to do that." And Jerry Kangelo and David Stern said, "Go back in the room and vote again." >> Andullies. That is what led Yeah. Like you're want to talk about bullies. And that led to over time what you see today with the three-point style and with the pace and space and everything else. It all started 20 years ago, 25 years ago when Kangelo and and David Stern force them to change the rules of the game. >> Bull, do you like college basketball? >> No. >> Why not? >> St. John's. >> I like St. John's, but they suck right now. They're not playing well. [laughter] >> So, is part of the reason I like college basketball? Because they miss a lot of shots. >> Now, college basketball when I watch it, it's not that I don't like it, I just don't watch it. But when I do watch it, I like it better than the NBA. I hate it. I don't like hair style at all. I will tell you this. >> Do you like it better? Because >> I will tell you this even though I don't watch it. >> The WNBA is more interesting than the NBA because the in the WNBA they play 80s style basketball. >> But you just said you don't watch it. >> I just don't have time. Jason, what do I got time to watch? >> HE WENT TO THE TIMES. He watch you busy man. >> Bro, you got you got Hulu Netflix. Let me ask you this. >> Enough time to watch it. >> Is baseball for fun to watch now or back in the 80s? >> '8s was better. >> Yeah, it was. I agree with that. >> '8s. Everybody plays for the three- run home right now. >> But it was boring. No, wasn't. >> They took 20 minutes to throw a pitch. >> No, the rules now are better in terms of the quickness of the game is better. The problem with baseball today is the the the the disparity between the halves and have nots is so big. That's a major negative. And even though the owners are all evil, I'm actually gonna side with them in this dispute and they should lock out the players until the players cave on the salary cap. Even if it means canceling a whole season, there has to be a salary cap. >> You think the players go to cave? >> Eventually, they will. >> Everybody throws a 100. The starter only goes four innings and everybody's waiting for a three-run homer. There's a funny story I got to tell this while we're This is totally random. >> Yeah. >> I don't even know if this is true, but I read this that like Pat Cares, I think, was the Indians manager. He went out to the mound. when he was talking to the starter and he said, "Hey, you see Kamacho out there in the bullpen?" He goes, "You really want me to bring Kamacho into this game? Finish it now." Like that's how much the game has evolved to where you didn't want to go to the bullpen. Like you that >> most of the guys outside of one guy in the pen, most of the guys in the pen, which >> you you know what the best error was >> for baseball? >> The steroid error. >> Absolutely. >> Uh >> juice them all up and let them know. Hey, I got no problem. >> They was They was hating They was 85. Kids don't do steroids. But they was hitting 85 home runs a week. It was Bonds Maguire. Listen, when you got ran, you got to think about it. I was watching the Meguire SA thing, right? >> Yeah. >> And I ain't seen so many black people in the audience in my life. There was all kind I said, "What the heck are they doing there? It was Magguire SSA. They would play it at the Do you remember? I was WATCHING ABC NIGHTLY NEWS. T Dan Rather and Ted Cappa was like and Mark Magguire. It was great. It was great. Now they >> and SAMMY SA IS BLACK AGAIN. [laughter] >> What happened? He was black. He was white. NOW HE'S BLACK AGAIN. >> Mark Magguire didn't take no steroids. >> Oh my god. >> You stop. >> He did. >> He gave it. He did. Sir Michael. He did. >> Well, we got to get to super chats. Before we do, Jason and Tyus answered. This was the longest winded ever. >> I said Jared Allen. I >> He said Allen and G. Who you going with, >> man? It's Darius Garland. Darius Garland. Come on, bro. You allar. You had a good game last week. Get your game together, bro. your game. You are supposed to be a He's a He's a borderline all NBA type player, right? Borderline. >> Said state of affairs cuz you'd be averaging nine points a game in the 80s. >> Well, if you say that this is Darius team, he'll give you 40. >> All right. >> It's not Darius team. Well, did he super chat?

Donovan Mitchell pounded his hand on the padded scorer’s table, and the All-Star guard lowered his head to cover his face in disbelief.

That, or embarrassment.

The Cavaliers, considered a strong contender to win the Eastern Conference title this season, look anything but one these days.

On Sunday, they came out flat against Charlotte, recovered and forced overtime before missing all 10 shots in the extra session to lose 119-111 to the Hornets, who were without star LaMelo Ball and have been one of the NBA’s worst road teams this season.

In the final moments, some of the Cleveland fans who stayed around in Rocket Arena until the end, booed the home team, which has too often played uninspired ball this season.

“We deserve it,” Mitchell said. “I was a fan once. I would boo us, too.” | https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/47309483/donovan-mitchell-stumbling-cavs-boo-us-too

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