It was billed as two small market teams destined for low ratings and little interest. Ultimately, it was a battle with the best television ratings in the last six years. Game seven of the NBA Finals, held June 22, also crowned its seventh different champion in the last seven years and 10th since 2013. The Pacers and Thunder matchup delivered a great show.
It was heartbreaking to see Indiana guard Tyrese Haliburton tear his right Achilles tendon in the first quarter of the winner take all game. Indy battled, but Oklahoma City was crowned the champion in the end, winning 103-91.
So, what does this mean for the Cavs? Halliburton already had surgery and will be out for next season. Boston’s Jayson Tatum suffered the same injury on his left side and is also expected to miss all or most of the 2025-26 season. If the Cavs made little or no changes to the roster, they would be among the Eastern Conference favorites because Boston and Indiana have suffered significant setbacks, each losing a star player.
Every day, the question of trading Darius Garland comes up. I always listen and then ask: Who are they getting in return, and how will this make them better? The little voices in my head remind me that his big toe was a mess, and he was struggling to run against Indiana in the season’s final game. The season before, he ate through a straw after suffering a broken jawbone.
I buy into trading him for two reasons. His play is redundant to Donovan Mitchell at the guard position. I often wonder what the Cavs would do if they had Mark Price and Kevin Johnson for in the late 1980s or early 1990s. They were Cavs teammates briefly, with Price winning the starting point guard position and Johnson then shipped to the Phoenix Suns, where he became a star. The trade with the Suns worked for both teams. Could they find a win-win deal?
The other is the salary cap. The Cavs are in a bad place without moving a core player to complete a deal.
I’m not in a hurry to see the Cavs trade Garland. I will understand if they have to make the move. It was interesting to see ESPN and Yahoo Sports report the Cavs were a “Wild Card” in the Kevin Durant trade.
Durant was traded from the Suns to Houston earlier this week.
If anything, this will be an interesting off-season for the Cavs, even if they do not make a significant move.
No matter who the general manager is, the Gilbert ownership group has never been one to worry about money. The motto “Money follows: it does not lead” is true in his businesses and basketball team. It made him a billionaire and has kept Cavs fans active and interested since the day he bought the team back in 2005.
MLB TRADE deadline approaches
Speaking of the trade block, we are about a month from the MLB trade deadline. The next few weeks will be pivotal in watching the Cleveland Guardians think about the future. The AL Central feels like it could slip away really fast. The boys need a serious winning streak against a Detroit losing streak. But, does it even matter with three wild-card teams? Did we not learn anything from Indiana’s fourth seed in the NBA playoffs?
The Guards are still hovering around postseason play. They must find a few more consistent bats to get the offense moving. You have to believe closer Emmanuel Clase would bring the greatest return.
The Guards could trade him, knowing they have other pitchers on the team who can finish a game. It might be what the doctor ordered. I hate trading away All-Star talent. He might be the franchise’s best trade asset outside of Jose Ramirez. I don’t even want to walk down Ramirez Road. We all know they need some offense if they want a chance to win in the playoffs.
I just hope they don’t start trading away players when they are within earshot of the playoffs. Former manager Terry Francona had to be frustrated by this in his final season in Cleveland. They were only a game back in the Central on July 31, 2023. But they were a game under .500 at the same time.
The trade rumors will be able to fill your belly until we get to Browns training camp and “the ballad of four quarterbacks.”
A big thank you to Canterbury Golf Club and all those who participated in the Bruce Baskin Cystic Fibrosis Golf Classic on June 23 in Beachwood. Our family has been active in the outing for almost all 52 years of this event. After my brother’s passing, the Greater Cleveland chapter of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation renamed it for him 20 years ago. The event has raised millions of dollars toward research for a cure. We get closer every day.
If you have a suggestion for a column idea for Andy Baskin, send him an email at columnists@cjn.org. He can be heard on “Baskin & Phelps” weekdays on 92.3 The Fan in Cleveland at audacy.com.