Nekias Duncan and Steve Jones Jr. chat with Justin Rowan and Carter Rodriguez of the Chase Down Podcast about the Cleveland Cavaliers<\/p>\n
Check out the full conversation on \u201cThe Dunker Spot\u201d and subscribe on Apple Podcasts<\/a>, Spotify<\/a>, YouTube<\/a> or wherever you listen<\/a>.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n View more<\/p>\n Video Transcript<\/p>\n I just would love to ask you guys, like, are, you know, for all the focus on, attention to detail and point of attack defense and finding your identity, like, are we just being, like, are we being har- like hardos that are like, “Just figure it out,” and like, it’s just, that might just be too much to deal with?<\/p>\n I’m curious what you guys think.<\/p>\n I think that’s part of my fascination with Cleveland, as you kind of mentioned them not having a long injury list, but the guys that are out pretty much complete an entire position group.<\/p>\n Like, no Dean Wade, no Jalen Tyson, like those are just guys that can play the four for you.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Yeah.<\/p>\n And when you wanna get to these single big lineups, they could just be your fours in some of these alignments.<\/p>\n And so I was watching Cavs Warriors last night, and we get later in the first quarter, and it is Dennis Schroder, James Harden, Sam Merrill, Keon Ellis, and Thomas Bryant.<\/p>\n I’m just like, I do not remember ever seeing this lineup play together.<\/p>\n Immediately go to Pepsi stats.<\/p>\n I’m s- I’m afraid that I do.<\/p>\n There has to be zero next to the victory.<\/p>\n I was like, oh.<\/p>\n I was like, this, this does not seem like something that they would want to get to on purpose.<\/p>\n I was like, why don’t you go to a bigger four?<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n And I was like, oh, right, they don’t have Dean Wade right now.<\/p>\n They don’t have Jalen Tyson right now.<\/p>\n Like, DeAndre Hunter just isn’t there anymore, and it wasn’t a great campaign for him this season anyway.<\/p>\n I was like, oh, they just really don’t have any options.<\/p>\n So, like, I do think in a sense, when you have so many lineup versatility questions with Cleveland in general, ’cause I feel like throughout this era, it has been a lot of, is Mobley and Allen going to work?<\/p>\n If it isn’t, what does Mobley at the five look like?<\/p>\n If Mobley doesn’t do enough offensively, you feel better about some of the Jarrett Allen stuff.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n What does Jarrett Allen at the five with smaller guys look like?<\/p>\n With that already tinting so much of the conversation for Cleveland, when you have a stretch when you don’t– you just do not have four options, or sometimes even three options, it’s just like, well, I don’t really know what to do with this.<\/p>\n I don’t like some of the drive containment.<\/p>\n I don’t like some of the defensive rebounding ’cause I remember how good they were last year.<\/p>\n But they don’t have size right now.<\/p>\n And so, like, I give them grace, but then I look at the calendar and it’s like, well, the playoffs are starting in a week and a half.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n I kinda have to evaluate what I’m looking at if I’m talking about what their chances are to make a push.<\/p>\n So, like, I’ve been kind of in a push and pull with it.<\/p>\n I do think, to directly answer the question, yes, we’ve probably been a little too harsh within that regard, like, collectively.<\/p>\n but we are just kinda reaching time where, yeah, you kinda have to figure it out ’cause it’s April.<\/p>\n