Cleveland Sports Forum

Well earned!

obviously the Coach of the Year.

Amid a dramatic franchise transformation, the Cleveland Cavaliers have signed coach J.B. Bickerstaff to a multiyear extension, the team announced Saturday.

Bickerstaff will be under contract through the 2026-27 season, sources told ESPN.


Bickerstaff and general manager Koby Altman have worked together to reshape the Cavaliers around a young core -- including guard Darius Garland and big men Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley -- that appears to have a significant runway for success.


"J.B. Bickerstaff is, with all certainty, the right head coach to lead this franchise into what we believe is a very promising future," said Altman in a prepared statement. "The decision to extend J.B. is not based solely on the early success of this season, but rather a body of work since his arrival to Cleveland. His leadership style, coaching experience and commitment to player development has instilled a growing confidence that resonates across our entire organization. We continue to see innovative and strategic examples of his impact on this roster, coupled by his unique ability to build upon a culture that leads to sustainable success."

Bickerstaff has led the Cavaliers to a 19-13 start and fifth place in the Eastern Conference. Before COVID-19 sidelined several key players recently, Cleveland won six straight games from Dec. 8-18 by an average margin of 21.5 points.

The Cavaliers rank third in defensive efficiency this season, trailing only Golden State and Phoenix. Cleveland ranked 25th a season ago.

Bickerstaff's representative, Bret Just of WME, finalized details on the extension with Cleveland management in recent days, sources said.

Bickerstaff, 42, replaced John Beilein as the Cavs' coach midway through the 2019-20 season, after previously serving as an interim coach in both Houston and Memphis.

The Cavaliers won just 19 games in 2019-20 and 22 games in 2020-21. Cleveland has improved its winning percentage by .288 percentage points, the largest increase in the NBA this season.

The big thing is this team plays defense. And defense = buy in/effort.

Cavaliers are turning Cleveland into a basketball town this winter – Terry Pluto

Updated: Dec. 26, 2021, 10:31 a.m. | Published: Dec. 26, 2021, 5:04 a.m.

By Terry Pluto, cleveland.com

ABOUT THE CAVS & FANS

No one saw this coming. Not the Cavaliers. Not the rest of the NBA. Not the fans.

That’s part of what makes this basketball season so much fun.

“We’re winning, and that certainly helps,” said Cavs Chief Executive Officer Len Komoroski. “But it’s also how we play. I keep hearing people say the team plays so hard. They have great ball movement. They show joy on the court. It’s basketball the way it’s meant to be played.”


Komoroski works for the Cavs, so you’d expect him to say things like that. But it matches what I’m hearing from the fans. They have fallen in love with this team, which entered the weekend with a 19-13 record.

The Cavs are averaging 17,804 fans per game, No. 11 in the NBA. They were at 17,816 in 2019-20, the last full season with fans. But in 2020-21, that figure was going to drop as the reality of Life Without LeBron James was beginning to set in. COVID-19 led to very limited fans at games last season.

“Our attendance is growing as fans get to see the team,” said Komoroski. “We’re now playing to 92% capacity. Our single-game tickets are up 165% (from 2019-20).”

A few signs of the times:

1. The Cavs put 202 tickets on the market for the Warriors game at the last moment and they were sold in 20 minutes.

2. The first Evan Mobley jersey sold out in 20 minutes. Another batch came in, another sellout.

3. The jerseys for Ricky Rubio, Kevin Love and Darius Garland have sold out “multiple times,” according to the Cavs.

4. Cyberweekend merchandise sales are up 29% over 2019-20 and the average sale is $72.55.

5. Overall, jersey sales are up 125% over 2019-20.

FANS LOVE THE TEAM SPIRIT
Cavs players celebrate one of Kevin Love's hot shooting. David Petkiewicz, cleveland.com


THE NEW OLD SCHOOL

The Cavs probably will never have another era like when James was here from 2014-18. That was four seasons, four trips to The Finals and a title in 2016. It was a James-driven team, although he did have Kyrie Irving for three years. Love played all four seasons.

But so often, it felt like All-LeBron, All-The-Time. This is different.

On my Facebook page, Michael Schultz posted: “The old-school team concept is winning. No working the system to set up a dream team. Players who actually look like they like each other and love the game of basketball. No unselfish players. This is how I grew up with the game before LeBron ruined basketball.”

LeBron didn’t “ruin basketball.” He did deliver a title here. So let’s keep that mind.

Sean Krause posted: “I never thought I would watch NBA games again. I didn’t like the brand of basketball they played. Chucking bad 3s, no defense, missing free throws, no ball movement & iso offense. A friend told me to check out how this team played. I love to watch them & the unselfish way they play. Defense, great ball movement, open shots & getting the crowd into the game!”


The Cavs rank No. 3 in the NBA in defensive efficiency. That compares to 24th in 2020-21. They were 30th out of 30 teams in 2018-19 and 2019-20.

AN INCREDIBLE ENDORSEMENT

This was posted by Missy Dixon Sikora:

“I am not much of a basketball fan. I have watched the Cavs when they have been in the playoffs but never really paid them much attention. Don’t get me wrong, I love sports. But basketball just has never hooked me.

“A few months ago my husband said you should watch this team. ... So one evening I watched and they lost, but the interview afterward with Darius Garland perked my attention. Talking about the team and the other players. Next thing I know I am hooked!!!! I love this TEAM!

“I watch almost every game and went to a game last week. I was at a holiday party with friends and all I could do was talk about this team. Even hooked a few others to start watching them. Visiting with my mom and we watched the Cavs game while we visited. NEVER had done that before.”

cavaliers media day
One fan mentioned the smile which Jarrett Allen displays frequently. David Petkiewicz, cleveland.com


TV RATINGS ARE SOARING

According to the Cavs:

1. They ranked No. 3 in all NBA markets in TV ratings.

2. They are up 62% compared to 2020-21.

3. In November, the average rating was a 3.0. This month, it’s 4.0. A recent game with Houston was a 5.2. That’s not as high as the playoff years, but it’s trending in that direction.

4. The Cavs have 22,203,491-- as in over 22 million -- followers on social media. Twitter (3.2 million), Facebook (8.1 million), Instagram (10.8 million).

cavaliers media day
Darius Garland has become a fan favorite. David Petkiewicz, cleveland.com


MORE FROM FANS

Matt Fuller wrote: “Best player on the team is Garland. He’s Kyrie Irving but willing to pass the ball. My favorite on this team is Jarrett Allen because he’s always smiling.”

Tom Kish wrote: “I’ve been a Cavs fan since the very beginning back in 1970. ... Through it all, I have not felt this pumped over a squad since the Mark Price/Larry Nance/Brad Daugherty years. This squad defines the meaning of teamwork. They feed off each other and genuinely are happy for each other’s accomplishments. My favorite player is Darius Garland. This young man is what makes the team go.”

Tim Channel wrote: “I love watching this team as much as my Miracle of Richfield team and my 1980s version of Lenny (Wilkens)-coached teams. Jarrett Allen is my current favorite. He is selfless and does the dirty work which enables his teammates to thrive!”




Karen Mansfield wrote: “We have always been Cavs fans! Yes, Joe Tait and Fred McLeod would have loved this team. My favorite player now is Allen, best player is Garland, and pleasant surprise is Cedi Osman.”

Melissa Gurchensky wrote: “It’s a tie between Evan Mobley and Kevin Love for my favorites. Mobley is so calm for a rookie and you can tell he is all about helping the team. I am so happy Love is having a great year after a few hard ones. We don’t have many sports figures who are loyal to Cleveland.”

Ricky Rubio’s ACL injury will end his season, and the Cavs are once again ‘completely gutted’



By Kelsey Russo 33m ago 3
The Cleveland Cavaliers suffered another major blow to their roster Wednesday as guard Ricky Rubio will miss the remainder of the 2021-22 season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament.

The ACL tear in his left knee was revealed in an MRI, which was administered Wednesday at Cleveland Clinic Sports Health Center. Rubio left Tuesday’s game against the New Orleans Pelicans late in the fourth quarter with what was initially ruled a left knee injury.

As Rubio was driving through the lane past Devonte’ Graham and toward the basket, he stepped in the paint and crossed the free-throw line before his left leg buckled, and he went down on the floor. Rubio immediately grabbed his left knee and motioned toward the bench. His teammates carried him off the court, and Rubio immediately headed back toward the locker room. He appeared not to put any weight on his left leg.

His teammate Kevin Love was one of the players to help carry Rubio off the floor.

“It was really, really hard for me,” Love said after the Cavs’ 108-104 loss to the Pelicans. “I could see the pain he was in when he went down. … Him and I have such a history, and I genuinely care for Ricky’s well-being, so just seeing him go down like that, I just prayed that he was going to be OK, and I obviously still do.”

“But just completely gutted,” Love continued. “It’s tough for me. I obviously saw him, I think it was 2012 when he went down, and I was with him then and (had) kind of the same reaction, but now we’ve gone through the league for so many years, and (it) just took the complete air out of the team. I’m just pained, just gutted for him.”

Rubio suffered the same injury during his rookie season at Minnesota, when he tore his ACL in his left knee in March 2012. During his first NBA season, he was averaging 10.6 points and 8.2 assists.

On Tuesday night, Rubio was just one assist shy of a triple-double against the Pelicans when he sustained the injury. He exited the game with 27 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists.

Rubio’s impact this season
Since being traded to Cleveland in late July, Rubio has had an immense impact on the Cavs, exhibited by his on-court success and veteran presence. He’s been the version of himself the Cavs envisioned when they made the trade, and from what they saw with the Spanish National Team this summer in the Tokyo Olympics. The 31-year-old used his quickness, passing ability and facilitating to be a consistent threat all over the floor.

Rubio has displayed a veteran calmness since stepping on the floor for the Cavs, facilitating and leading the offense with ease. He makes savvy passes and finds open teammates or works his way to the basket. Rubio either came off the bench and led the second unit, playing alongside Darius Garland to form a backcourt duo, or filled in when Garland was out, starring as the starting point guard and floor general Bickerstaff believes he is.

When Rubio and Garland were on the floor together, they had a +16.1 net rating in 512 minutes of play. The two worked well off one another, and opposing defenses had to make difficult calls when Rubio and Garland were on the court. Rubio would start the offense, and Garland was the secondary finisher. Playing those two in the lineup together allowed Garland to be more aggressive offensively and find his shots.

Rubio averaged 13.1 points and 6.6 assists per game in 28.5 minutes of play this season — his 13.1 points per game tied for the most in a season in his career. Rubio also shot 36.3 percent from the field and 33.9 percent from 3.

What this means for the Cavs going forward
The Cavs are already shorthanded at the guard position with Collin Sexton sidelined for the season due to a meniscus injury and Garland entering the NBA’s health and safety protocols Tuesday. Garland can clear quarantine if he has two negative results 24 hours apart, or as The Athletic reported recently, if he can produce two straight tests with a cycle threshold value over 35 after six days, or by simply by waiting through 10 days of isolation after the positive test.

For the time being, the Cavs are without their two main point guards, both of whom have led Cleveland to its early-season success. Once Garland returns, that responsibility will mainly be on him at the point guard position. He has to continue leading the Cavs’ offense the way he’s done throughout the first two months of the season. He needs to use his voice, facilitate and find his way to the basket.

Garland has started all 31 games he’s played in this season and has taken on the leadership responsibility as the Cavs’ point guard. He’s averaging 19.5 points and 7.3 assists per game, which are both career-highs.

But while they wait for Garland’s return from protocols, the Cavs do have another option — and one that will play a key part moving forward. This opens up an opportunity for guard Kevin Pangos to earn more minutes as the backup point guard. He’s shown flashes throughout the season. Against the Raptors on Dec. 26, Pangos played 16 minutes, scored six points and dished out six assists.

Pangos has seen limited minutes throughout the season. He’s played in 15 games and is averaging 5.5 minutes per game. He’s shooting 36.4 percent from the field and 31.3 percent from 3, averaging 1.5 points and 1.1 assists per game.

“KP is going to have to pick up some of that load,” Bickerstaff said before the Cavs’ loss to the Pelicans, with Garland entering health and safety protocols. “We’ll put the ball in his hand and let him do the things that he’s comfortable doing. He’s got a ton of experience across the world, played at some of the highest levels. We’ve seen what he can do here with us, and he fits in. He knows how to play. He’s intelligent. He makes his teammates better. So we put trust in him to handle the ball and get us organized and make sure we execute our offensive system.”

That sentiment will ring true even after Garland returns to the lineup.

In the short term, the Cavs have signed guard Malik Newman to a 10-day hardship deal. They officially announced his signing Wednesday. Newman is listed as a shooting guard but could provide an option for the backcourt. This season, he’s played in 12 games with the Cavs’ G League affiliate, the Cleveland Charge, averaging 17.8 points, 3.2 rebounds and 3.9 assists in 27.3 minutes per game.

The Cleveland Cavaliers traded for Rajon Rondo on Friday morning, per Shams Charania.

Ricky Rubio had been an excellent alternate ball handling option for Cleveland before he tore his ACL. Rondo will likely come off the bench for the Cavs and play point guard when Darius Garland is off the floor. This season, he's averaged 6.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, 8.3 assists, and 1.5 steals per 36 minutes.

This actually has the potential to be quite brilliant.

These guys are so similar in a way. Veteran point guards who are both brilliant passers. Neither shoots great but that's not what they need to do anyways.

Rondo has championship pedigree.

When we first signed someone last summer I thought it was this RR and not the other RR.

they can't finish games without an NBA point guard on the floor; those last 2 nights they dominated early and fell apart late.
Pangos is nowhere near NBA caliber player. the young vet who shared the job with last night is perhaps a bit better.
The full frontcourt less Osman was available yesterday and played well, but couldnt hold off a very undermanned Hawks club.

Gopd call civ - I watched that game too.

Garland and Rondo will fix that.

By the way remember Trae Young tore them up in that game. Rondo's defense alone would help with that.

Hollinger: Rajon Rondo trade makes immediate sense for Cavs and Lakers



Oct 6, 2021; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Rajon Rondo (4) reacts against the Phoenix Suns during a preseason game at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
By John Hollinger Dec 31, 2021 84

Sure, it’s a trade that might seem kinda irrelevant … but on the other hand, it’s also very relevant in the short term, given the big name and the teams involved.

The Los Angeles Lakers on Friday agreed to trade guard Rajon Rondo to Cleveland for guard Denzel Valentine, a deal that is salary-cap triage on the Lakers’ end and backcourt triage on the Cavs’. All of it, of course, is driven by salary cap and luxury-tax rules and those two teams’ efforts to manage those limitations.

In Cleveland’s case, it needs a point guard now. Like, right now. Darius Garland is in COVID-19 protocols, and Collin Sexton and Ricky Rubio are out for the season. Even quasi-ballhandlers like Cedi Osman are in the protocols. The only guard left standing is little used Kevin Pangos, a veteran import from Europe in his rookie season. I was on the Pangos bandwagon, but he has struggled mightily thus far, failing to create separation and generate advantages at the offensive end for a team with no other ballhandlers. He’s still gonna end up playing no matter what since he’s the only guy left who can dribble, but Cleveland needs more.

Enter Rondo. He’s available, now, and they can easily acquire him, now, without a lot of haggling. This isn’t the endgame move for Cleveland at all; I’m sure the Cavs will still be in the market for the Dennis Schröders of the world as we get closer to the trade deadline. But the Cavs can’t wait. They might have a top-four team in the East if they can just survive for a few weeks.

How this works from Cleveland’s end is that it was only $3.1 million from the luxury-tax line and wished to maintain as much flexibility as possible; including Valentine actually pushes the Cavs further from that line (although not as much as they would have moved by waiving him outright, since only $500,000 of his deal is guaranteed). The Cavs now stand $3.4 million from the tax line and have some kind of NBA point guard.

(One notable thing about this deal in particular: It keeps Schröder-type scenarios in play as we get closer to Feb. 10. I wrote about this possibility in my trade manifesto on Thursday; Schröder’s contract fits into the $8.9 million injury exception the Cavs will surely get for Rubio, and Cleveland can stay under the tax by trading a minimum contract in said deal and doing some light trimming elsewhere.)

Why Rondo instead of a call-up from the G League? Um, have you seen what’s been going on? Literally, any G League player who is any good at all is already in the NBA on a hardship deal; the Cavs can troll this market two weeks from now and try to sign the most successful call-ups (they still have plenty of ways to clear a roster spot or two-way). But again, they need somebody now.

There’s one more angle here: Rondo went into the COVID-19 protocols five days ago. If he’s vaccinated, he could be out as soon as today based on the new rules. That could gum things up for a couple of days here on Cleveland’s end since he can’t report and take his physical until he’s cleared. On the other hand, it also means he’s also extremely unlikely to go back into the protocols any time soon — surely an important consideration for a team performing roster triage in this day.

As for the Lakers, this is a simple bit of financial management that will allow them to sign another player — presumably Stanley Johnson, a hardship signing who has played 82 minutes over the past three games.

Cutting Rondo outright and signing Johnson for the rest of the year would cost the Lakers about $5.9 million in additional luxury-tax payments; add in Johnson’s salary, and you’re looking at a $6.8 million bill. Trading Rondo for a partially guaranteed player and then immediately cutting him, on the other hand, cuts that bill roughly in half. Valentine will count $847,072 on the Lakers’ books if the trade executes today, almost exactly half of Rondo’s $1.67 million cap hit. The Lakers would stand to save $3.1 million in luxury tax as a result.

Finally, the other obvious issue for the Lakers is that Rondo wasn’t going to play. He’d only made 18 appearances this season and struggled to fit in, with a 6.8 PER and 38.3 true shooting percentage. The Lakers have had much more success — to the extent they’ve had any – lining up shooters such as Malik Monk and Austin Reaves at the guard positions to surround LeBron James. Meanwhile, the Lakers could really use another big forward in the rotation like Johnson, especially while they wait for Trevor Ariza to get back up to speed.

One last piece of accounting: Since both players are on minimum contacts and are being taken into a minimum exception, each side will receive a small trade exception. It’s likely worthless, but still. L.A.’s will be $1,669,178 for Rondo; Cleveland’s will depend on the trade execution but will be equivalent to Valentine’s cap number on the Lakers’ sheet — likely the $847,072 noted above.

So … that’s how we get a sudden late December trade of two backup guards who hardly play. Consider it a roster tourniquet for Cleveland and a financial one for L.A. Yes, it’s extremely minor in the grand scheme of things, but the financial and roster logistics add up nicely for both sides.

What is the value of an NBA veteran point guard who's been there and done that - including a championship where he was one of the major players?

Much more then that article stated that's for sure.

We all know that a pass first point guard on a Lebron team is worthless. Great pickup.

From The Athletic:

Collin Sexton, Cleveland

Could Cleveland make a move to push more chips in? Could Ricky Rubio’s ACL tear be the catalyst that pushes the Cavaliers further in the direction of adding guard help at the deadline? Both Collin Sexton and Rubio have expiring contracts; together they add up to $24 million in expiring salary and could allow Cleveland to take back $27 million while staying below the tax line. Cleveland also has a $4.2 million trade exception from last year’s JaVale McGee swap to grease deals, as well as a likely $8.9 million injury exception for Rubio.

This type of thought process would have been a non-starter before the season, but just look at these Cavs now: sporting the best scoring margin in the East despite playing its toughest schedule, and sitting fifth in the standings with a cupcake-heavy slate awaiting them down the stretch if they can just survive January.

Could they be a player for a wing on the trade market? (Presuming such a thing existed?) Could they get involved in something (rubs palms) big? I mentioned Schröder above, but he could also be a small piece of something bigger in a three-team construction where the main event is Sexton and Rubio for a $20 million-ish player. Çonsider a deal for Jerami Grant, for instance, where the Cavs send out Sexton, Rubio, Dylan Windler and their 2022 first to Detroit and end up with enough room below the tax to stuff Schröder into the trade.

If you want something even grander, what about Sexton, Rubio, Windler and two firsts to Philadelphia for Simmons? Is it crazy to bring in Simmons when Darius Garland is thriving on the ball, or is it wild to think about a Simmons-Mobley-Allen frontcourt terrorizing the league on defense? It also puts the Cavs slightly into the tax, but damn the financial torpedoes, we want some trades!

Perhaps it isn’t quite the right fit, but deals for Grant and Simmons are the types of moves Cleveland should at least be thinking about. The Cavs are legitimately, stunningly good but running out of competent guards and wings.

No thank you for Simmons . Terry Pluto told us lots of good reasons.