The Cleveland Cavaliers have 4 of the top 50 players in the NBA this season, according to ESPN

The Cleveland Cavaliers have 4 of the top 50 players in the NBA this season, according to ESPN

We’re gonna talk a little Cavs before Bernie Co-star joins us in studio today. Our Cavs talk today is brought to us by FanDuel. The NBA season is almost here and FanDuel is making sure you’re ready for kickoff with a can’t miss offer. Right now, new customers can bet just $5 and if that $5 bet wins. You get 300 in bonus bets to use across the app. So are you ready to play? If you are, download the FanDuel app right now by visiting FanDuel.com/ UCSS to get started. That is FanDuel.com/ UCSS to place your 1st $5 bet. Guys, the Cavs. This is crazy. The Cavs played their first preseason game in 12 days. Yeah, training camps on. I mean, I won’t be watching, but hold on, boo, can we convince you? Yes, because me and you, I thought after we took this, we took the Pacers joint the hardest. We did, yeah, like I, I was hurt. I was devastated. I didn’t like none of them. I wanted the whole team everybody got to go, everybody, uh. The new, the new players that they’ve added, does that not give you a new opportunity to have a new lease and look on the team because I believe this is a different team as it was constituted last year. You see, I wasn’t gonna watch last year and then they had that winning streak and of course I got sucked in for the season as I usually do. I, I feel like I can’t do it again. I know they got some new players, new dudes, and I, and I, I, I, you know, I like some of the moves they made, — but they didn’t change their top
— four. Well, well, the, uh, you know why. Hit me is because they do have Darrius Garland out. They do have, uh, Max Strus out. So you’re pretty much gonna get a different lineup. I hear you, but I am the guys I won’t. The problem is I can’t get over. I won’t be able to get over. That no matter what they do in the regular season, it’s not gonna, it won’t translate or I’m not gonna think it’s gonna translate. It might, but it’s meaningless, right? It feels so meaningless, but you know it’s so crazy. How is it? So, so yeah, how is it? I’m just asking a question of. That’s the case for everybody, right? Like, in, in, — in
— the
— in the NBA’s the case, like you could have a great regular season, like the Oklahoma City Thunder as good as they are. Would you be surprised if they got beaten in the second round? Uh, I feel a little, a little, but they deserve the benefit because they just won a championship. OK, — I
— anticipate that that will happen. So look, I mean, I mean, listen, I’m not, I’ll watch because you know I’ll watch, but I’m not gonna watch the preseason, no, — no chance now be doing live postgames after
— the. No, we will not be doing live preseason, but you mentioned the 4, 44 not necessarily changing. This is crazy. This is insane by ESPN. ESPN every year ranks their top 100 players for the upcoming season. Who does this? Is it? No, it’s, it’s a collection of all NBA writers and the aggregation of all the aggregate of all the votes, the composite of all the votes and then come out with their top 100 players. They release it in increments 100 to 51. 50 to 11 and then 10 through 1 which came out this morning. There were no calves in the first iteration of that. 100 to 51, 0 Cavs in the second grouping, numbers 50 to number 11, the Cavs had 4 players. They had Evan Mobley ranked ahead of Donovan Mitchell at number 13. Yeah, that’s insane. They had Donovan Mitchell ranked behind Evan Mobley at number 15. They had Darius Garland at 38, and they had Jared Allen at 45. The Cavs are the only team. Unless my math is wrong and I’m missing something to have 4 players in ESPN’s top 50, Alex Cruso was ranked 54. That’d be the Thunder’s 4th player. So slightly, just, — just slightly
— missed a top 10 player. They do. They have the number 2 overall player in SGA. So I wanted to ask you guys, first and foremost. Mitchell and Mobley at 13 and 15 guys, I, I that’s insane to me. What do you guys think? — I’d have to see
— who’s not, not you. I put Mobley ahead of Mitchell. I don’t get that, — is this what they saying like they predict
— I guess. I keep trying to clarify, I want to read ESPN’s exact wording on how they rank this because. It, it may give a little clarity. Our countdown kicked off with our player rankings 100 to 51 on Tuesday alongside of predictions of which players can enter the next year’s ranks next year. We chose these players with over 100. 50 voters between reporters, editors, producers, and analysts asking them to rank based on their predicted contributions, quality and quantity for the upcoming season while also using their previous experience and performances as a reference point. That’s fair. You think Evan Mobley deserves to be ahead of Donovan? Yeah, you know why? Because last year we seen Donovan take the, he took, he, y’all got it. He let everybody do that still the best player on the team, but he still fail all the way back in the regular season and everybody else had to raise their game. And we talking about production on the court. Evans, they make it. Evan’s gonna have the ball in his hands, bring the ball up the court, pass the ball, shoot the ball, play defense. Guys, it’s not crazy. Guys, this is very simple. I, I, I said this earlier, nobody paid attention. Evan Mobley had one of the greatest seasons, individual seasons, statistically, not statistically, excuse me, but in terms of award and accolades ever for Cleveland Cavalier. He made first team all defense. He was a Defensive Player of the Year. He was an All-Star. He made 2nd team all NBA. Bro, that’s crazy. You know first team all NBA, Donovan Mitchell. But if you, would you take, would you take a person, would you take a person making first team all NBA or being the defensive player of the year, the first team all NBA defense, and then second team NBA? — I’m taking that
— in my opinion, he shouldn’t have been 2nd team all NBA, but whatever. There’s no way he was one of the 10 best players in the league. I don’t believe that at all. I mean, I know, I know. Tell me a better year. The only person that’s in, in, in, in the heavens with a, with a year like that is LeBron. That’s it. There’s never been another year like that for the Cavs. — McNuggets
— tripping. So you think right now that Evan is a better player than Donovan Mitchell. Listen, I’m playing devil’s eye. Now in my heart of hearts, do we all know in Cleveland who the dude is? It’s Donovan Mitchell. But I can see why somebody says on the trajectory, there’s a man coming and it was prophesized. It is do-rag Mobley and do-rag Mobley is different. So that with the accolades, he’s got to be even better offensively. — He got
— he got what it matters. He’s got to be 24 and 2, I mean. 4 and 12. — He’s
— got to become an elite offensive player, Mike, before you put him ahead of Donovan Mitchell. Oh, yeah, I, I totally do, and I’m as high on Moby as anybody. I think at the end of the season, this could be applicable, but to start the season, you can’t put him ahead, especially when you hear Kenny and you hear Kobe and you hear some of the people you talk to in the organization talk about how locked in Donovan is already. Kobe said at the press conference on, was that Tuesday? If they’re telling Donovan, you gotta ramp it down. You’re in midseason form. We don’t need you in midseason form before the season even starts. We need you to ramp up to get to there. Uh, from all accounts, he’s come in looking in absolutely incredible shape the best — shape of his life because
— he got Coco June. — What do you mean he’s got Coco
— Jones? His new fiancee. Oh, — I didn’t even know he
— was engaged. You don’t say that. — What
— isn’t she? She’s a track star, right? She’s an actress and you, you don’t say that. — She’s a singer and an
— actress. I don’t know her. I know you know she is, uh, I’m gonna Google her. She’s gotta be that’s a smoking hot. It’s a woman right there. This is somebody’s people. Somebody’s is somebody’s person by the way, by the way, I do have Donovan Mitchell. Winning the MVP this year. Yeah, that’s going to take a heroic effort, if that happens. If that happens, the Cavs will not be set up in a position to go as deep as they need to go. They, — they could have
— the best made an argument for Mobley. But I do have him winning MVP. Like I’m just saying I can see, I can see both ways. But, but they’re gonna have the best record in the league. They gonna have the Cavs again they got to do and he’s gonna put up he listen and he gonna put up crazy numbers. So Darius Garland’s not gonna be playing. It’s gonna be him and Mobley for like two-man game. You know what the the the numbers in that gonna look like 31, 3232. Oh, she played Hillary in the new Bel Air show. — This dude is still I don’t know
— she’s really hot, man. I mean, that’s a good job out of him. You know her real name, but, — you know her real
— name. No, what is it? — Somebody say it Courtney
— that he’s on top. Courtney, Maya, and Jones. Hey, listen, we out of pocket. We out of pocket. These people know her government name. You you goo, listen, I had nothing to do with this, man. That’s not hard to find. It’s on Wikipedia. I’m Jones. Travis Kelsey got. See this is why I need to know if I need to know is really with Shins because that’s, that’s a, — that’s a
— McNuggets where I need to know if Sanders is with Shinzia, he needs to be the starting quarterback. — Who’s
— Shins? You getting in my culture. That’s my culture. I want to see it that’s my culture right there. She’s South Korean. No, she’s Jamaican woman that ain’t. This is what’s her name? How do you spell it? Hey, where Bernie? Bernie? Bernie, you got to step in on this one. Mike is asleep at the wheel. This is crazy. All right, so back to the top. I’ll ask you this. Steve, will you just mutes the top 50. Jared Allen at 45 DG at number 38. Any issue are those the right ranges? I’m not asking specifics, but this is in the 50. Yeah, do you believe Darius Garland’s in that 35 to 40 ranged between 40. — Who are some of the guys
— around him? — Give us some
— context. So I’ll hold. So let me tell you about Darius Garland. When you, if you ask around the league and you listen to the NBA blogs and different things like that, they are super high on Darius Garland because they feel like offensively. Darrius Garland is, is one of those dudes that can do it all. He got the ball on the string. He’s quick, he can get to the rack. He could finish around the, the cup. He can shoot, you know, 40% if he, if he, if he’s open from outside. He shoot a high percentage from the free throw line. He got everything in his bag. He got a tool. He got the tool bag ready to go, run the pick and roll very well. The only problem with Darius Garland is the fact that he’s a little small and they pick on him a little bit, but When you, when you ask around the league, they, they hold him in esteem like that. Now Jared Allen, for a lot of people that might be a little high. That may be, I mean, Jared Allen is a, is a, he’s, he’s a run the floor, uh, I wouldn’t say he’s, he’s a, he’s a, he’s a high level. He’s a luxury garbage man. I mean, Jared Allen is a useless, uh, postseason player. He’s a useless postseason player. Is that not fair? What do you mean? He can’t play in the postseason. To, to me, he’s strong. He’s in the playoffs. He’s not, he is not a guy you can, you can count on to deliver you no consistent play. Like, I, I don’t understand who would take who would take, uh, him over over Alex Caruso right now like that’s what I mean, yeah, right, he’s a seven footer that you don’t have to give touches. He runs the rim, he rebounds at a high rate. He plays games all the time and he’s never injured. People like for a contender they’d love to have a guy like that, but he don’t move the needle. I don’t think he should be in the in the top. He’s not a top 500. What are we doing 50. — Is
— he not is he not the second best players come on now. — Is
— he not the best. — I
— had nothing to do with this thing. Mike, who, who, who the best center in the East? Second best center in the East. — Let me pull up the can’t
— play in this. So you got Miles Turner. This is not 1985. In 1985, he’d be a good player. Miles Turner, right? All right, so you count, or we counting him beat. I, I don’t count on beat. He can’t be healthy. Well, I mean, I would still take him. Are you gonna really say Jared Allen better than Joel? No, I would rather have Jared Allen with no legs is better than you. I would rather have Jared Allen than Joel Be. Oh my God, that’s just insane. That’s insane. You know, you lose, you lose credibility. — Here’s the
— thing. Joe Allen Beat, even though there’s only a 25% chance of it happening, if he plays in the playoffs, he can help you. Jared Allen’s not helping you win in the playoffs. You know that. — If you do you know
— how many games Joe Beats played in the playoffs in his career? What’s that? Do you know how many games Joan beats played versus missed? Not enough. Allen plays bad job out of you. You have to hold McNuggets down and then tell him and ask him if they made a trade. The Cavs would say no. Philly if Philly called and said we’ll give you MBs for Allen, they would say no. Nobody move. Shaq GBT would you that. Like they would take him. — People would then say Joe
— is the least tradable player in the NBA right now. You guys have been, you’ve been talking about this greatzo. acquisition for months. He gets hurt even more than you. There you go. That’s the way you got to get him. That’s the way they gave up nothing to get Lonzo Ball. — Mike to give
— up Aaron Allen at what has he done in the playoffs. — At least he’s
— there. Who cares if he he wasn’t there against the Magic. — He
— wasn’t against the Magic. That’s true that is true, said who has to go between Darris Garland and Jared Allen and McNuggets had trade all all season for for Jared. — We couldn’t get anything
— for him. You get less for Joe and Beat right now. Jo Beat is the least tradeable player. — In basketball right now and that’s
— partly because of his contract. Yes, if it wasn’t for the contract, the contract, sure, yeah, for throwing out the window, then, yeah, well, of course, because he is the worst in basketball. — The Cavs would say no so fast rather have Joel M on the
— roster than Jared Allen. You have been. I rebuke you, devil. You have you have been posses. — You have been possessed by the
— soul of. What’s next? What’s next? Darius Garland is better than Kyrie Irving. I mean, whoa, who will you hit me with that? I didn’t. We’re gonna bring Bernie in. uh, and played 19 games last year, 39 games the year before, and he missed 27 playoff games in his career. So good luck with that. I just want to say this is a Jared Allen appreciation comment. Thank you very much. — Jared
— Allen. If, if this were 40 years ago, Jared Allen would be valuable. There’s no way he’s one of the 50 best players in the league. Well, ESPN ranked him 1 spot ahead of, uh, one spot behind Jared Allen, so.

The Cleveland Cavaliers continue to earn national respect, as ESPN ranked four of their stars inside the NBA’s top 50 players heading into this season. Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen all made the cut, which shows just how strong the Cavs’ core truly is. It’s not every franchise that can boast four players in that range, and it’s a reminder that Cleveland’s roster is built to compete with the best teams in the league.

For Donovan Mitchell, the recognition is no surprise. He’s proven himself as one of the league’s elite scorers and big-moment guards, and he’ll once again be expected to lead the charge offensively. Garland cracks the list because of his playmaking and shot creation, while Allen remains one of the NBA’s most reliable rim protectors and pick-and-roll bigs. And then there’s Mobley, who may be the biggest swing piece for the Cavs’ future. His development as a two-way force is what could eventually elevate Cleveland from playoff team to true contender.

For fans, this kind of national spotlight only heightens the expectations. The Cavs aren’t sneaking up on anybody anymore — they’ve got four players who are viewed among the NBA’s best, and the pressure is on to translate that talent into wins deep into the postseason. This isn’t just about potential anymore; it’s about results, and Cleveland has the star power to finally deliver.

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