Chase Down Podcast Live, presented by fubo: Consistency Curses Cavs

Chase Down Podcast Live, presented by fubo: Consistency Curses Cavs

Heat. Heat. Heat. Hey, Heat. [Music] Garland in the corner. He’s got it. Bean stands pow with the right hand shakes to the basket and thunders it home. Oh, Mobly throws it down and Allen blocked the shot at the rim. Welcome to Chaseown podcast, part of the Cavs media family. I’m your host, Justin Rowan. The Chaseown is presented by Fubo, the official streaming partner of the Cavs. Watch over 350 channels of live sports and TV, including FanDuel Sports Network without cable. There’s no cost and no commitment. try for free at fubotv.com/cavs. The Cleveland Cavaliers got a win over the Indiana Pacers, the short-handed Pacers, in a much much better effort, but weren’t able to sustain that improved effort against the Portland Trailblazers. Uh, good start to the game. Fell off a little bit in the middle. And joining me today to discuss all of that is my co-host, Carter Rodriguez. Carter, how you doing, buddy? I’m disappointed, Justin. Uh, you know, I’m not uh terribly worked up uh after that loss, which I think is probably a a bad thing. Uh, you know, uh, on balance, like, you kind of want to be worked up after uh, after a loss like that. It’s their second loss to a team coming off a backto-back when the Cavs didn’t play the night before in a row. Uh, both of them at home. Uh, both of them in these last three games. Um, and that’s really, really, really bad. Um and these are the and not against powerhouse teams either. You know the that Boston team is above average. Uh this Portland team is well below average. Um and uh and both teams were sitting some of their best players uh due to injury or or rest. And um you know there’s stuff to point at as as we know but like we spend a lot of time talking about how you know when the Cavs uh are playing their fourth and fifth night or the second half of a road back to back and short-handed that you know we we are like the kings of context. Well, like there’s not much to contextualize here when uh when the other team uh is in, you know, a considerably worse situation than you. These are games you’re supposed to win. These are the kind of games that Vegas uh shades the line uh towards the the home team with rest. And the fact that they didn’t is um you know, there’s a lot to point out. There’s a lot and we’re going to dive in. Uh but it is just kind of going I just again I think I said this on the last podcast. It just kind of feels like this kind of might just be the story of this first half of the year. Uh cuz uh they just haven’t consistently been able to find it. Uh uh even within this game, they had huge stretches where they played really really well. Um they were just marred by sections where they played as inversely poorly. Yeah. A and we talked about on the last podcast, but this isn’t a team that’s shown that they can necessarily flip a switch, right? And I thought the effort against the Pacers was really, really strong. Like I I thought they came out there with the right mindset. They were attacking from the jump. I I thought the effort on both ends of the floor was great. Uh Donovan was obviously terrific. Jaylen Tyson was amazing. We we’ll get into, you know, those two in more detail, but um I I thought the first quarter against Portland was a continuation of that. I thought their process was really really good offensively. I thought they were getting to the basket. I thought they were getting quality shots. The defensive intensity from that starting unit was there, man. Like that that they were locked in. All of them were contributing. Uh Donovan Klingan is a beast to keep off the boards. Like that that is such a large man, but you would have guys, you know, come in and try to disrupt his rhythm. DeAndre Hunter flew in multiple times to assist Moy in securing those boards. Uh there was a time where where Darius got a hand on the ball and knocked it out so that they were able to secure the rebound, right? They were doing what they needed to do collectively. And then it felt like in the second quarter, even though the process offensively stayed pretty good overall, they weren’t hitting shots and I thought they let that impact every other phase of the game. I I thought agreed, by the way. I I I’m not surprised. Like I I thought it was very evident. I I thought the shots weren’t falling and then the effort started to fall off. The defensive focus wasn’t at the same level. And you know this what we talked about before where they need to kind of dedicate this next quarter of the season to improving the effort and ramping it back up. This isn’t a team that can flip the switch. This might be more like, you know, turning a a big tanker ship around where it needs to take some time. But the key to that is it needs to keep turning in the same direction, right? Like if it’s going to take some time to turn this ship around, they’re going to have to consistently stay at it, right? So, and they didn’t do that tonight. And and they didn’t do that tonight, right? And it’s how they respond to that. Do do they continue to try to Hey, we we had two quarters that we felt good about our effort. let’s try to to ramp it up uh and and get at least three solid quarters and maybe one okay quarter and not a disastrous quarter. Like you kind of have to take those baby steps here, but for like for the you know present you can’t take any game for granted. Yeah. No, you you can’t. Um uh and again there’s there’s stuff you like to see, but I mean I really do want to there the Cavs lost this game in two ways. They couldn’t contain ball pressure at all at the point of attack on defense. I mean it is a bad defensive game. One for the guards. I thought they they stood out uh both of them. know, Donovan’s expending so much energy on the offensive end that I’m not surprised that the defense isn’t there. And Darius, I I thought Darius was one of those culprits of his shots not falling and the defensive intensity wasn’t where it needed to be. Um, you know, other culprits for sure. You know, Jaylen Tyson had bad possessions up and down the roster. They they I don’t think Dean had a great night guarding either. No, but uh you know we hold the the guards to Lonzo as well by the way. Yeah, we we we hold the guards to a higher standard. So that’s why I wanted to at least you know interject and bring up that I thought both of them had had a very poor defensive game. Yeah. So yeah, really bad at the point of attack defensively and like to some extent like with that I don’t really know what to talk about other than like they have to work harder to stay in front of guys. Like I know that they don’t have the best point of attack defense personnel, but there’s teams that are doing a better job than them guarding the ball with, you know, with worse uh personnel for it. So, I think that’s got to be, you know, again, it’s hard for me to analyze it other than do better. Um, but uh and then there matters, you know, do do better is analysis. Yeah. Uh on on the offensive end though, I got to tell you, uh the the shot making is a problem right now. This we we know that the Cavs uh three-point percentage is uh you know below the 50th percentile in the league right now um after they were you know won by a country mile last year. And I think a big part of it obviously they’re just they’re they’re missing guys that shoot well and the guys that they have that shoot well currently aren’t uh you know Darius Garland goes one for8 from three in this game. He’s not shooting well to start the season. Uh DeAndre Hunter who has shot okay to start the season. He’s six of 21. That’s 28% in his last four games. Dean Wade who has always been a streaky shooter. It’s been a real step back this year. He he was at 28% I believe going into this game. He was 0 of three tonight. It’s been 10 games since Dean has made more than one three in a game. Like Oh wow. I didn’t realize that. Yeah, I just I literally was game log counting. So, I might have miscounted by one here or there, but like uh like that they just don’t have players that are reliably hitting the the you know, they’re not generating open threes at the same level they did, but when they are generating them, they’re not making them. And then I mean, and Lonzo really is probably the worst culprit of this. Uh in his last, he was at 28% I believe coming into this game. He is seven of 40 from three in his last six games. Like it’s tough, man. So like if if no one’s able to shoot and this isn’t really a team that’s going to just like bludgeon people at the rim certainly without not without Jarrett there to create that like downward pressure. So it’s really just like Donnie Superman plays Darius when he is right, which he’s clearly not right and not playing well. uh he you know uh the FanDuel postgame show lit he was literally over their shoulder on the court practicing jumpers um or postgame because clearly he’s so frustrated. Uh and then and then it’s and then it’s the the the Evan Duckkins that’s your rim pressure. So like it’s just hard to see a road like I don’t I don’t see a like you can say Lonzo stopped shooting which like I do think he probably needs to dial it back. Like transition threes, you’re just you’re not allowed to take them if you’re under 30% right now. Yeah. Like if the ball swings to you in the half court and you’re open, take the catch and shoot because if you pass that up, it it’s just going to kill the offense. But the transition ones h have to go, right? And like in Darius’s case, the the unfortunate thing is the three-pointer was actually the the one part of his game that kind of was still there, right? Like he was shooting 39% from three coming into this game. Obviously the one for eight tonight. He just terrible shooting night and I I thought he lost confidence there. There was the one three-pointer he took in the third quarter where his feet weren’t set and he kind of scissor kicked it as he took it from a little too deep. Um was very clearly frustrated with what I thought were very obvious fouls in the the second quarter where he kind of got drilled on backto back possessions. Uh but again, you can’t let that kind of stuff get to you, right? Like you have to maintain your composure. Um, but you know, he the tough thing is when Hunter is not shooting well and he’s going 0 for three, Dean’s in a slump like this, and then you go to someone like Naquan Tomlin who’s bringing in a lot of energy and I thought was once again helpful, but you don’t have defenses respecting him in that way, particularly when when Naquin’s out there with Lonzo. That’s just not a a lot of shooting gravity. And um on on a night like tonight where I thought the Cavs really missed Jared Allen and the defense really fell off when Evan Mobley wasn’t out there on the court. When you kind of have th those Darius lineups where it’s DG out there with Lonzo, Dean, and Hunter and none of them are hitting threes and Darius isn’t hitting threes. It’s just really like what are you bringing? Like right like you don’t have a rim rolling guy there, right? So, it’s um you you’re really out of options and it’s tough to play cohesive basketball at that point. Yeah, it’s uh you just don’t really there’s not a lot of juice um right now. Uh so again, there’s there’s ways around it. Um uh and they but like the real answer is DeAndre this team can’t have DeAndre Hunter score 10 points on nine field goal attempts. This team can’t have Darius Garland score six points on 13 field goal attempts because the offense can’t function without those guys being 15 to 25 point scorers on a nighttoight basis because Evan gave you what you needed. You had 23 points on 14 shots for him. Donovan didn’t have an amazing game, but 33 on 26 like that should be enough. Yeah, Donovan was I think he was pressing because he felt like he had to. Yeah, this has been a, you know, an affliction of this team throughout the year where we don’t have a lot of guys that have put together just a great game start to finish. Uh Donovan certainly did against the Pacers, but a good quarter is not a guarantee that it’s going to continue for the rest of the game, right? Like I I thought Donovan started the game tremendously. Uh I I thought it fell off a little bit. I thought the third quarter in particular was pretty tough for him. Um, but just I I again it’s understandable, right? Like anytime that you’re put in a situation where you’re being asked to do a little bit too much, there is going to be a drop off at some point. And I I think this team is collectively dealing with that where they’re navigating a whole lot of things whe you know whether it’s guys being unavailable or when they are available they’re working their way back so they’re not at 100%. We you have guys up and down the roster that have been asked to do too much and you can just kind of tell the wear like the mental wear and tear here. And that’s something that can, you know, that that can be a break of your season, right? Where, hey, this is something that we’ve seen with this group that they need to to get better doing. Um or it can be something that, hey, we struggled with this. This is something we’ve been struggling with for years. And the situation that we were put in this year really tested us, but we came out on the other side a little mentally tougher than we were coming in. It’s all about how you respond to it. It’s not fun to to watch as a fan, but you know, it’s ultimately it’s one of those tests that they’re either going to pass or fail at the end of the day. Yeah. Um, you know, I I say it a lot on this podcast that, uh, a team’s culture, uh, is not derived from when things are going well. Uh, it is derived from how they respond when things are not going well. And I think, you know, based on what Kenny said today, he said, hey, he saw them slump on their shoulders in the second. I think the direct quote was like, we I we lost our spirit uh, a little bit in that quarter and like uh, and I if I’m misquing, I’m really really sorry. No, you’re right. I I I’m pretty sure I heard that. Um and like if if if if I really believe that a team’s culture is tested under adversity, tonight was not a pass of that test, you know, uh and I don’t know if this season has been a a pass. Uh because they have not consistently been able to generate that spirit, you know. um and and maybe but at the same time you’re not really tested if you are able to easily kind of pass right like when you’ve when adversity hits and oh I just like I I managed to we had a bad game bounce back from it that that’s not really learning from adversity that’s not really being tested they’re being tested like crazy right now and the ultimately I believe in the infrastructure of this group I believe in the the leadership at the top end of the roster. I believe in the leadership of Kenny Atinson. I think that they can turn this around. Me, too. I I I think they have everything in place and the infrastructure in place to be successful. And we know how important that is, Carter, because we have strong infrastructure with things like Zoom Workplace cuz teams move fastest when everyone’s in sync. Zoom workplace keeps meetings, chats, documents, and more together. So, your workflow is like a perfect play. Keep work moving and zoom ahead with Zoom Workplace. brother, you caught me off guard with that one. Well done. I did want to I did want to say like, you know, uh I don’t I I agree with you. I do believe in these guys. They have shown this before. Like I think a like a a bad playoff series against, you know, the Knicks, a bad end to the Pacers series, you know, has made given people the impression that these guys just are not resilient at all or not mentally strong. And like, sure, there have been times where that’s been the case, but I also have seen these guys fight their way back through injuries and through dips. They’ve had plenty. They’ve had plenty of dips these past four or five years. Honestly, I will still say the effort that I saw from those guys in game five against the Pacers that that won me over in a big way. Like I thought Darius was playing his ass off through injury. I thought Donovan dealing with the the calf strain. Like you could tell they were giving absolutely everything that they had in that game and they just didn’t have it. Yeah. Sometimes you lose just cuz you you didn’t have enough. And like um like I think there’s plenty of times that I’ve been disappointed in this team’s problem solving uh in the face of some of that physicality. Um but like again I don’t think that like this is some I think this frankly dude this feels kind of new to me like this kind of stretch. like I don’t know the last time they’ve had a 20 game stretch where I felt as you know so disappointed and the consistent effort and focus and more than any of that togetherness um from a night toight basis uh the cohesion just doesn’t really feel there right now. So, like I I don’t think this is like, oh, here they are. They’re failing the test again because I I think this team has passed a lot of tests regarding their toughness. Um, we just we’re just not seeing them pass it right now. And honestly, what I think this is I think this is a situation that is conducive to some of their worst habits. Yeah. I I I think in terms of how short-handed they’ve been, the particular ways in which they’ve been short-handed, you know, starting the year lacking a lot of playmaking w with no Darius in the lineup, lacking some outside shooting, some of those irrational confidence guys like Max um and Sam, I think it’s put them in a situation and even now, you know, one of their foundational things Jared played 82 games last year in games where in games where Evan was available, you knew you were going to have at least one of those really good rim protectors and really good defensive players out there at all times. You don’t have any of those safety nets right now. And I think what you’re seeing is some of the worst habits of a very talented, very good basketball team, which is that when things aren’t always going their way, they the the the internal belief and confidence to to turn that around within a game hasn’t been there. This is a team that, you know, when they’re playing with momentum, when the shots are falling, their chest will puff out. They play with more confidence and they play better and better. And we’ve seen that snowball in matchups against really good teams. Positive snowball. Remember avalanches, Justin. I I do. I I do. I I remember them going I remember them going blowfor-blow with OKC last year, right? Like I I But what we’re seeing isn’t something we haven’t seen before. where we’ve just never seen it, you know, for a prolonged stretch in this kind of way. Can I note also on top of that the yes and to start the season starts and ends of seasons, all the games count for the same, but like if this was game, you know, 25 to 45, but they had started really well and they finished really well, we’d feel different, you know, but we just haven’t gotten the fun stretch yet with this team. So, it’s really really hard to sit and and like just sit in it because you don’t have any like, you know, it’s like you don’t have any like resilience built up. It’s like just like stepping outside to a freezing cold uh you know, uh lakeside Cleveland kind of day where like the wind just slaps you in the face and that’s just what we’ve been sitting in uh like since the season started for the most part. Yeah. And you know, one of the nice things about when you do get a very extended period of time with a group is you get to, you know, grow up and learn what they’re all about along with them, right? Like I I think we’ve seen individual and collective growth from this team the whole time. But this particular issue, you know, that that lack of confidence that not playing the same when you’re down as when you’re up ahead, you know, whether you want to call that front running or however you want to label that, we have seen that be an issue in the past. And I think that’s going to be one of those stories of this season and of this group, right? Because the the things that we don’t know about this team is one, can they stay healthy for a run? We we haven’t seen that yet. And two is this element, right? Like it’s that internal drive, that internal belief that when we’re down when we’re down 15 in the third quarter, we still believe that what we can do is going to get us back in this game. We that that internal belief and confidence and mental fortitude that ends up developing you into a team that feels inevitable, right? This team hasn’t done that. when what what this team has done is shown that when the faucets’s pouring, it’s really hard to turn it off. Like when they are playing really really well, it’s tough to beat them. Like that that Miami Heat team that they they played in the playoffs, I know they weren’t very good, but at the same time, like they gave them a good fight in those first two games. Like they they had a chance to to win that game, too, in particular, and the Cavs broke their spirit. That was a well coached team that had been playing really well from the All-Star break on. we had talked about before the series. They had the same net rating, same offense and defense as the Indiana Pacers after the All-Star break. Cavs broke their spirit because of how well they were playing, but then they went up against a Pacers team. Not everything was right. They were down DG. Uh, you know, Moy gets hurt in game one and all of a sudden they don’t have all of their horses and the confidence wasn’t there and they ran into a team that that maintained their identity at a higher level than the Cavs did. This stretch has been incredibly frustrating. But if what comes from this is that they do build up that that internal confidence and that identity, it’ll ultimately be for the good. It’s just no guarantee that that’s going to happen. Yeah. We we don’t know. Um and like you know at for every you 203 24 or 24 25 Pacers uh you know like there’s 10 teams that just don’t figure it out and flame out um or just have bad years. you know, like I’m sure the Orlando Magic thought that all right, it’s starting a little rough, but maybe we’ll kick up. And it’s like, no, they’re just going to have a kind of a crappy year all year. And like this Cavs team should have much higher expectations than that, uh, to be fair. But like there are a lot of good teams that just kind of don’t have it. Or like you look at like the Mavs team that made the finals, they kind of weren’t world beaters during the regular season. They just kind of hung around, got won around 50 games and then got really, really hot. So like you can do it. Um, but like the Cavs aren’t showing us that right this second. Justin, I did want to ask like assuming that, you know, we’re going to have to wait for a bit for Jared to come back. Assuming that Sam, you know, who’s, you know, still not using that hand per reports much during uh the the court work that’s at least being observed by the media. Um, knowing that Max is not days away, Mhm. are you are you changing up the rotation at all? What are what are you doing to to try to to jog them out of this if you’re if you’re Kenny? I mean, I have some ideas. I I don’t think any of them are like I don’t think I have any like silver bullets here that are just going to solve everything. But what what kind of tweaks are you making if if if uh if god forbid you suddenly became in charge of the Cleveland Cavaliers? Yeah. Well, if I you know, if I became in charge of the Cleveland Cavaliers tomorrow, um I love this team very much and I would resign because that would be in everybody’s best interest. Um but no, I if it’s really really tricky because you know some of the things that we identified are these guys just got to shoot better, right? Um that what you mentioned before with Lonzo just a little bit of a conversation of we can’t take these transition threes. We we are struggling from the outside. You are struggling in particular. We need to find ways to get better shots. That would be a priority for me because you know part of my kneejerk instinct is hey Craig’s been playing really well. I know he didn’t play well tonight but he’s probably been the better guard of the two. But you can’t necessarily just give him all of Lonzo’s minutes at this point because you are still collecting data, right? Like you’re especially when you you’re talking about a veteran player that you you’ve invested in here, you want to make sure that you are fully kind of sussing this out and you know running the experiment as much as possible before you have to, you know, analyze this roster and make decisions at the trade deadline. I I think that that’s important. I I do think you know in game though sometimes you might have to go all right we are pulling you know we’re pulling more proven players and we are going with whoever is going to give us energy because Greg has done that Tyrese Proctor has given us really good minutes as well and and maybe we want to give him a little bit more extended run. Um, when it comes to Naquin Tomlin, I I will say this, like I talked about that, you know, DG nobody else kind of lineup. DG Hunter and Lonzo Naquin. I forget who else they they have out there, but in those lineups, I’m not putting Naquin in the corner. I am having him set screens. I’m trying to replicate some of that rim running that that Jarrett does because he gets ignored in the corner. Like, there’s a reason that the ball is finding him wide open. Um, you know, the the unfortunate thing is when we talk about some of the the in you know, players coming in and players going out of the off season, as much as people were frustrated with Isaac Okoro in the regular, you know, in the postseason, this is a guy that shot, you know, 37% from three each of the last three years, right? That’s pretty nice. It’s that’s, you know, it’s a shooting downgrade when when you’re going to Lonzo and Naquin, right? Um Jaylen Tyson’s shooting the hell out of the ball. that’s going to come down like he’s not going to shoot 49% from three all year. Yeah. And he wasn’t able to make uh his threes tonight. You know, you went one of three from from distance. And you know, even if you’re thrilled with Jaylen shooting, all he’s doing is replicating Max’s shooting and Sam’s shooting that that isn’t currently available. So like it’s not just like uh Tyson takes Oorments and you’re good. right now it’s guys like Lonzo or and not even to mention Tai Jerome being a volume three-point shooter off the dribble. Um they just don’t have that transition. Yeah, they don’t like those shots that the the two transition three-point attempts from Dean and Lonzo that had me, you know, holding my head in my hands were ones I was geeked to see Ty Jerome take last year. Uh so like they just don’t have that right now. Um I think you’re spot on about uh Naquin. I think like I think sometimes uh he can get into this headsp space where he’s really trying to fit in and just do the right thing. It’s like Naquan, you’re out here cuz I want you doing stuff. I want you doing stuff. Because I also think that helps with some of his, you know, comparative lack of reps just on a competitive basketball court to a lot of people. It’s a lot easier to just do something than to try to, you know, operate in this liinal space for a guy like Tomlin. So, especially with no Jared out there, like why isn’t he, you know, running pick and roll, getting downhill, getting into the short roll, using his handle, using his fluidity. I I think you’re spot on about that. Uh the one player I want to talk about is Thomas Bryant. Uh he was phenomenal in this game. Um yeah, uh you know, protected the rim pretty well. Um yeah, even when uh even though the the metrics uh I think for their defense with Evan off the floor weren’t good, I think that’s way more a byproduct of the on ball work from the team. I think when uh they were in a position to funnel the ball to him, he did a nice job protecting the rim. The energy, there was also Evan off, Thomas Bryan off minutes that did not go particularly well. Actually, is that true? No, it’s not. No, they they added up to 48 minutes tonight. Okay. Bryant played 13. Evan played 35. Um uh said it with confidence, though, so you have to correct me. I know. I’m so sorry. Um but I thought I thought he did a nice job protecting the rim when the defensive shell held up well enough. I thought he uh I thought he was really really good on offense. Not just cuz he hit threes, though obviously that’s nice, but just deep physical seals that make everyone’s lives easier because they are they take a a help defender out of the play cuz they’re trying to dig themselves out of the seal. Um, gets him in position for some offensive rebounding even though he didn’t get many tonight. Um I I I just he’s got good touch around the rim, drew a few fouls like and but more than that, he just has played harder than a lot of players on the on the roster and he’s played nastier certainly than anyone on the roster. Um and I think especially until Jared gets back, he’s got to be around the 20 minute mark. And even if that means playing him at the five with Evan at the four and playing a little bit more jumbo, I think they got to consider it. Um I’m okay with that cuz I think he’s been more reliable than Dean. Uh certainly offensively. Um I I I think that it allows you to stay big. Um I think it allows he just he provides energy and even energizes the guys around him to play harder. Yeah, he does. Um, and yeah, I just I think he’s got to be in the rotation at least for the next couple weeks. One of the nice things about him, too, is he’s a talker. Like this, and I know I’m a broken record on this, but this Cavs team has been too quiet on the defensive end, right? Like even someone like Jaylen Tyson, I I don’t see him communicating a whole lot. This team needs to get a whole lot louder on defense because I I feel like that’s, you know, some of the missing ingredient here. And you’re right. I I just looked it up on Pivot Fade. Apparently when Evan was off the floor, they had a 133 defensive rating on the night. So that that certainly felt accurate. But I’m with you, man. Like I I think Thomas Bryant brings something uh to the table. And and by the way, because Sorry to interrupt cuz I know I just monologued, but like No, it’s fine. Bryant being a pretty capable rim protector when the shell holds does allow Evan to do what he does best, which is freelance on defense. Yeah. And particularly, you know, if we’re looking ahead to a matchup like like Golden State where they’re not really playing uh, you know, a traditional big, I I think you can kind of play the the two big lineup against them be, which is counterintuitive. You might be thinking, well, they don’t have a, you know, a lot of size, so why are you going bigger for at stretches against them? But the lack of size makes it easier that you can have some minutes where you, you know, maybe Dean’s playing the five or whomever. Uh maybe Naquin Tomlin’s playing some five. So you don’t have to stagger Evan and Thomas the way that you had to do two tonight against Portland where you needed to have 48 minutes where one of them was on the court at all times. But I don’t think you have to do that anyway. Like you can literally stagger them and and give him 8 minutes with Evan and all of a sudden Evan’s at 32 33 minutes. I’m just saying that you’re you’re insulated like in the event of a Thomas Bryan foul trouble or whatever the case may be, right? Yeah, that that was more my point. But, you know, from an offseason calculus standpoint, like who they were counting on to be contributors this year that weren’t last year. Thomas Bryant and Jaylen Tyson, in my opinion, are hits. I know Jaylen Tyson isn’t new to the roster, but they were absolutely counting on him playing a larger role. there are still bumps along the road with, you know, I think he’s got to clean up things on the defensive end um and kind of improve his awareness of the court, which has been improving in order for him to be someone that you can trust in the playoffs, right? Like what was the old Pat Riley uh saying where you know uh you have eight guys active, you you you play seven and you trust six kind of thing. like we we got to find out where Jaylen Tyson slots into that and if he can elevate his game to a point where you do trust him. But I I think he’s absolutely been a hit. Whereas, you know, Larry’s been up and down. Um Larry’s had a rough go particularly after that knee injury first popped up. I I thought that the play really dropped off at that time. And Lonzo has not been panning out to the the way that we hoped, right? Like we knew that that was a calculated risk and a gamble. I like it it almost hurts me because I love some of the stuff he does, right? Like I I think when he comes screaming in and, you know, has active hands on the defensive end, breaks up plays, uh some of the passing he does, all of that is like stuff that that is candy to me. Like I I absolutely love it when when players play with that kind of IQ, but when the jumper is this far off and he is showing such a willingness to shoot and particularly in those situations, it really does limit the overall effectiveness. And I thought his second quarter stretch or or you know that really that first shift that he had was really really tough, right? like he was minus 12 in that stretch and they were minus 10 like at at the half, right? Like I I thought that really correlated as much as single game plus minus is a terrible terrible stat that shouldn’t be used. Yeah. Well, I just you know the problem with the three is like there’s nothing else to really rely on if it’s not there. Yeah. Because if he’s not being cuz he’s not being guarded right now. So, because he’s not being guarded, he has no angles to you be a brilliant playmaker. He cannot get to the rim and score there. He won’t I mean, we’re not even really seeing an attempt to do so. And then on the defensive end, it’s splash plays or nothing cuz I don’t think the point of attack defense has been good enough. Yep. So, like I it’s it’s in a it’s in a tough spot right now. And I agree with you. I was really rooting for it. And I mean, you think about that preseason game where he took over for like that 8 minute stretch against Chicago and you’re like, “Oh man, is this what we’re going to get to have this season?” And like there just isn’t that right now. And there’s been the odd shift here here and there where where it’s looked really really good and fun, but yeah, there’s just not enough. Um and like at at this point where the team, you know, the team’s dabbling with 500. Uh they’re not there yet, but they’re dabbling. uh after after another uh back to back, we’ll see where we’re at. Um but like I just think I’m looking at Craig when I need ball handling and I’m looking at Tyrese when I need to play on the wing uh for at least the short term um uh in the back court. And I do think by the way Jaylen is really rounding out offensively. I’ve loved the finishing um uh the last couple games. Uh I I I think some really smart offball cuts and stuff too. Yeah, I’m really I mean posterized someone today which was dope. Sucks we can’t be like celebrating that cuz it’s a bad loss. Um but like so I that honestly that that is disappointing because I I thought that was awesome and like he’s coming off the best game of his career against the Pacers, right? Like it’s just the unfortunate timing of when we’re doing the podcast and we’re we we tend to skew more macro in general, but like man, he was awesome against the Pacers. Like that that was a that’s a quality quality performance from him. Yeah, he’s been freaking phenomenal. Um and it’s not just like there was parts of me, especially early in the season even. So obviously he starts the season and it’s really rough. We’re like, “Oh man, maybe it was too much too soon.” Uh, and then he kicks up and I’m enjoying it, but like there is this little part in the back of my mind that’s like a lot of this is three-point percentage. A lot of this is him shooting 60% from three for like five straight games. Same thought. Yeah. And like if that if he goes through a slump, do we have these same problems again? So, seeing him find ways to insulate his game a little bit where, you know, he’s had uh let’s see here. He’s had 11 two-point field goal makes in the last two games. Like, that feels good. That feels safe to me. Like, if he can he can get a put back, he can make a a timely cut, he can score in transition, like that stuff is important for him cuz I don’t think he’s a pure shooter. I just don’t think that’s who he really is deep down. I think it’s great if he is has a few seasons in the 40% range, but like he’s not Sam Merrill like as a from a talent perspective as a shooter. So, honestly, I’d be thrilled with 37. The rest of his offensive floor great with that. Yeah, the rest of his offensive floor has to raise. The playmaking is I I think been strong. The the smarts has been there. The rebounding, he’s got 18 rebounds in his last two games, uh, which I really really appreciate. Um, so like we’re seeing some stuff here. It’s just like, man, the rest of the everything else is rough. I I think it’s no surprise, by the way, that Jaylen and Evan were the only two Cavaliers who had a positive plus minus on the night cuz they were the only two that really, I think, consistently showed up with the level of, you know, attention to detail and focus in their minutes and frankly energy. I thought Evan had a great energy game tonight. I I I thought so too. Like he he was really competing on the glass. Honestly, he’s been competing competing on the boards more recently. Like I I I feel him fighting for possessions even when he doesn’t get the board. Um I I know he only had five against the Pacers, but I felt like that was kind of more game situation than anything else. Five fouls in that game. Yeah. Yeah. Um, you know, I I I I feel like he he’s been playing better and better and I I honestly I think the overall health of the offense is trending in a better direction, right? Like it’s it’s frustrating but it’s not always rewarded with results, but I do feel like it is trending in a better direction and I think Evan playing consistently better and someone like Jaylen Tyson who I do think is reliant on a healthy offensive ecosystem to be successful offensively. I don’t think he’s some sort of self-creation dynamo. I think both of those guys are a positive litmus test for what the overall offense is trending towards. They just got to make some damn shots, man. Yeah. I I to your point if Max and Sam and Jared are in these games uh instead of and getting a lot of the minutes that Lonzo and Dean and Naquin and and and those guys are getting and like you can also just say hey DeAndre you don’t have it tonight go take a seat like all the all these sorts of levers to pull then I would feel better been one where you said Darius right like with the way he’s shooting yeah um like I think that this probably could very comfortably be a win. I mean, uh, the Blazers took 18 less threes and made one more. Um, so like I do think the process has been generally sharper in the last like week or two, but like again, uh, it’s just kind of cold comfort when they’re not guarding. Like you got to guard, you got to guard. You can’t give up 39 free throw attempts. I know. I know. Uh Denny is a great uh free throw drawing player and frankly I the griftiness can be a frustrating thing. a lot of his fouls were drawn earnestly because the Cavs were not he does and the his style of play like he does welcome a lot of contact like that that’s the thing right like it’s jumping sideways into Jaylen Tyson that I I find frustrating or or or times where there isn’t contact and he goes down like he he’s he understands the dark art dark arts of you know foul drawing but there there is also a lot of legitimate contact that he does draw like he he is a hell of a player and I feel justified you It was slander at one point or at least it was taken as slander when I would compare Fron to Denny, but honestly they are pretty comparable players from an impact standpoint and honestly Denny might be having the better year. Uh he definitely is. He’s killing everyone right now. He’s averaging 26 points a game, dude. 26 seven and six. That’s crazy. And and I thought Portland was a good test. Like I know they’re not a good team, but they’re also a team that doesn’t get blown out. Like they hang around in every single matchup. They play hard in every single game. I thought that the Cavs were going to have to play a consistent 48 minutes to to win this game, otherwise they were going to be at risk of losing it. And lo and behold, there you go. Like it’s easy to remember or it’s easy to forget the one loss OKC has this year was to Portland, right? Like they they they can catch you on the wrong night and they can make you work. Obviously know Drew Holiday. I I know Drew played a a pivotal role in that one, but they play up and down the the roster. They they play hard. They they play well defensively and and they test you, right? And on a night where the Cavs couldn’t buy a three, like, you know, a mediocre three-point shooting night probably would have been enough to win this one. Um but they’ve just played harder. They deserve this win more than the Cavs did. I think that’s the bottom line. Can I say also, I think one of the things that’s frustrating about this is I I think the Pacers made the Cavs win that game. The Pacers kept coming. They didn’t quit. They kept working really really hard. And I was I was proud of the Cavs after that Pacers game of like, hey, like like that Pacers team kept coming. you you had some some great stretches of play from them and you just kept fighting them off, fighting them off, kicking them down and you came home with a comfortable win and uh wasn’t the case tonight, brother. No. No. And the Cavs, as I said, I I don’t think that this is a team that’s demonstrated that they can flip the switch. So, until they prove me wrong, I will continue to believe that they just got to turn this thing around, man. Like, if it takes around. Yeah. If it takes a week or two to to turn this thing around, like that’s just what it’s got to be right now. I I think what you have to drill down on is improving your habits, right? And just because you you have good habits in the past doesn’t mean a a a couple, you know, a couple weeks of indulgence can undo all of that, right? Like I I’ I’ve certainly fallen victim to that. The Cavs have to continue to to build back towards th those positive habits and really use these next few weeks and ne next month or two to get back on track to to to put together consistently put together 48 minutes of good basketball. And until they do that, every other issue is going to be harder to diagnose because you have this component of man and they just, you know, as as Kenny said, lost their spirit for a part of the game. And I think next Friday, December 12th at Washington is is actually a really important thing because this team does get five full days off due to the inseason tournament. They play this backtoback Friday and Saturday and then they have five days off. And I do hope that obviously, you know, guys who are hurt get the rehab they need and the rest they need. But I do hope that the team takes some time to like soulsearch a little bit, figure out who they are. Um, and you know, I don’t know if that’s stepping away alto together and just coming back with a completely fresh outlook. I don’t know if that’s spending a bunch of time in the facility together. I feel like it’s a practice time. Maybe they go bowling. David Blland season, baby. Like I I know that they got a little bit of extended time off. I think it was three days with Thanksgiving, but you know, you spend that last day with with family for for Thanksgiving with the holiday and all that. That’s a a different animal. Get getting this stretch of time. you would hope that they’re able to take advantage of that, you know, uh tend to to whatever wounds that they have, get some practice in, and you know, have a refined approach coming out of it. I I totally agree with you. How they come out in that game against Washington, even though it’s Washington, is going to be important. Yeah, I I I think so. So, uh hope hope they turn it around. This has not been a lot of fun. Uh and uh um you know, ideally they can find a little momentum going into this break and then um uh and then really get their feet under them. Yeah. You know, quality 48 minutes. That that should be the goal. And you know what? That’s what we’re bringing, man. We just hit brother. I’m I swear to God, we just hit 48 minutes on the record as you said it. Now, that includes the pre-roll, but my god, that was amazing. I built those habits. I have built those damn habits. I am giving you a consistent 48 hours. Unbelievable. How about that? How about that? Big thanks to everyone that tuned in live on YouTube. We appreciate you guys. Make sure you like and subscribe. Click that notification bell so you know when we’re going live. If you’re listening via podcast and you want to support us, leave us a rating, your review, subscribe, unsubscribe, resubscribe, and help cook those books. If you want to be part of Chaseown’s exclusive Discord chat, send a screenshot of the review to chase [email protected]. However you choose to support us, we really do appreciate it. Make sure you guys are staying safe out there. Until next time, go Cavs. [Music]

The Cavaliers dropped a game to a Blazers team missing several key players on Wednesday night. Carter and Justin weigh in on the lack of consistency for the team so far this season and more.

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