Let’s stop pretending the Cavaliers don’t have one of the best rosters in basketball. Outside of Oklahoma City, nobody is as deep, as versatile, or as well-built for playoff basketball as Cleveland. And if this team isn’t playing in June, we owe Donovan Mitchell a full apology.
Evan Mobley has been the best defender in the league since his rookie year — anyone who actually watches basketball knows that. But it’s time for him to take the leap offensively. The talent is there. The touch is there. The responsibility needs to be there, too. And Jarrett Allen, as good as he is, can’t keep being the “friendly giant.” He needs to dominate, not defer.
This isn’t a “young team learning.” This is a win-now roster with real expectations.
Last spring, I told Kenny Atkinson he looked like the next Coach of the Year, and he shot back, “We gotta win the championship first.” That mindset should define this season. Because the talent absolutely supports it.
The East is open. This roster is too good to underachieve. If we aren’t playing Oklahoma City, or whoever comes out of the West come June, something has gone drastically wrong. I, for one, believe.
Thomas Maddox,
Cincinnati