Cleveland Sports Forum

An examination of Darius Garland's left eye on Thursday revealed no structural damage.

The good news is that Garland doesn't have any damage beyond the laceration suffered when he was inadvertently poked in the eye by Gary Trent Jr. Wednesday night.

However, there is no concrete timeline for a return to game action, as the Cavaliers also announced that the All-Star point guard will be re-evaluated daily. If Garland has to miss game action, which appears to be the case, Cedi Osman is likely to slide into the starting lineup.

I would think Okoro.

Donovan Mitchell makes Cavaliers history, leads Cleveland to first win of season, 128-96, over Chicago Bulls

Updated: Oct. 23, 2022, 12:37 a.m.|Published: Oct. 22, 2022, 10:33 p.m.


Chris Fedor, cleveland.com

CHICAGO -- The Cleveland Cavaliers have their first win of the season. And first of the Donovan Mitchell era.

Mitchell helped lead the Cavaliers to a resounding 128-96 victory over Eastern Conference rival Chicago on Saturday night -- their largest margin of victory ever against the Bulls.

They also spoiled the Bulls’ highly anticipated home opener, sending 21,089 Chicagoans -- once on their feet and aroused for the season debut of All-Star guard Zach LaVine -- out of the United Center early. Not even Bulls leading scorer DeMar DeRozan stuck around for the end, getting ejected at the 4:30 mark of the fourth quarter because of a second technical.

Prior to Saturday night’s showdown, Mitchell spoke about needing to carry a bigger burden with injured star Darius Garland nursing a left eye injury back in Cleveland. That’s Mitchell’s responsibility. It comes with being a three-time All-Star and franchise player. Last season, the Cavs couldn’t function without Garland, looking lost and lethargic, getting outscored by 9.3 points per 100 possessions with him off the floor.

Not anymore. Not with Mitchell.

The newbie, playing his second game since joining the Cavs in a trajectory-altering trade less than two months ago, poured in a game-high 32 points on 10 of 19 shooting and 4 of 6 from 3-point range. Showing his all-around game, which goes far beyond lethal scoring, Mitchell added nine rebounds and eight assists, falling just short of his first career triple-double.

Mitchell is the first player in Cavs history to open a season with back-to-back 30-point games.

“I’m really just more happy with the fact that we got the win,” Mitchell said. “The first game, it looked good and felt good, but we lost. So, tonight to go out here and get the first one as a group, it was great. My teammates trust me. My coaches trust me. It just allows you to play with freedom and just do what I do and not put too much pressure on myself.”

But Mitchell also spoke early Saturday morning about how replacing Garland needed to be a group effort. As players have said over the last month, the strength of the team is the team.

Mitchell got plenty of help. Some of it from unexpected sources. Six players reached double figures.

Second-year forward Evan Mobley finished with 16 points on 7 of 9 shooting. Kevin Love, the Sixth Man of the Year runner-up last season, anchored the bench. Love recorded his first double-double of the season, scoring 15 points and grabbing 12 rebounds. Love even drilled his first five 3-point attempts before a fourth-quarter miss ended his perfect night from deep.

Cedi Osman also provided a spectacular lift, adding 15 points in 26 minutes. With Osman on the floor, Cleveland outscored Chicago by a stunning 41 points.

Even backup veteran center and former Bull Robin Lopez hit double-digits, tallying 12 points on 6 of 7 shooting in 16 impactful minutes. He was awarded the team’s Junkyard Dog chain after the win.

“We’re really well-balanced and I think it’s such a luxury -- and maybe one we haven’t seen before -- where we can play so many different lineups and so many different ways,” Love said. “Just breeds confidence being able to play like that and knowing everybody has the best intention for the team. Guys love playing together. It’s a fun way to play basketball. The opportunity is there for everybody to shine.”

At one point, after trailing by double figures for most of the night, the Bulls started to mount a comeback. They cut the lead to nine at the 5:34 mark of the third quarter. It was the first time they were within single digits since early in the second quarter.

But Mitchell responded. Just like he has done so many times throughout his sterling career. He buried a jumper while being fouled for the old-fashioned 3-point play. Only it became a four-point play instead, with Nikola Vucevic whistled for a frustration technical foul.

“I was just trying to find a way to get a bucket,” Mitchell said. “We got stagnant. ISO basketball. We didn’t execute our stuff. In those moments, that’s why you’re here. Just find a way to gain the momentum back on our side. Those are moments that can change a game. When they got it down to nine, just finding ways to continue to stay poised as a group. I think we all did that.”

That sequence allowed the stumbling Cavs to momentarily settle -- and they never looked back, cruising to a statement victory over a team expected to be in the playoff mix, the place where the Cavs are trying to go this season.

Garland is supposed to help them get there. Only he couldn’t Saturday night because of a nasty-looking eye injury suffered in Wednesday’s opener. Despite being helpless, Garland supported from afar, sending a series of excited tweets about the team’s performance. There was one for just about every player, including rookie Isaiah Mobley who scored his first NBA hoop -- a triple late in the fourth quarter.

Even Garland, whose left eye is essentially swollen shut, could see Cleveland’s limitless potential Saturday night.

Up next

The Cavs will host the Washington Wizards for the home opener on Sunday night. Tipoff is 7 p.m.

Quite a night Saturday for the bench
Love Lopez Osman Neto totaled
19 for 29 shooting
7 for 10 on 3’s
21 rebounds
12 assists. 2 turnovers

In Donovan Mitchell, the Cavs can already see they have much more than a scorer. They have a leader
Kelsey Russo
Oct 24, 2022
16


CLEVELAND — As Cleveland Cavaliers head coach J.B. Bickerstaff pulled out the Junkyard Dog Chain from its case, he turned around and started to say, “We’ve got to give this 44 minutes, 37 points, coming off a back-to-back,” but the clapping in the Cavs’ locker room ensued. Bickerstaff walked toward Donovan Mitchell’s locker and placed the Junkyard Dog Chain around his neck.


Mitchell walked into his postgame press conference donning the Junkyard Dog Chain around his neck. His face lit up as he began to talk about earning the award.

“It meant a lot,” Mitchell said of earning the chain. “The guys in the locker room, when I saw RoLo get it last time, I was like, ‘Oh, this is pretty dope.’ For me, just to feel a part of the group. They’ve accepted me since day one. Just to go out there and continuously just find my way, whether it’s offensively, defensively. Then to get this, ‘It’s awesome.”


In his first three games in Cleveland, Mitchell has put on a show on both ends of the floor. He’s shown how he can facilitate and create shots on the offensive end. Bickerstaff has noted through training camp, preseason and the first three games of the season how Mitchell can be a floor general. He watches how Mitchell talks to his teammates and tries to get them in the right spots. Bickerstaff notices how Mitchell also reads defenses and gives guys suggestions on the floor on what to do.

Defensively, he’s contesting shots, causing deflections, getting steals and grabbing rebounds. He’s staying in front of his man and putting on pressure defensively.

In front of a rowdy Cleveland crowd, Mitchell made his home debut Sunday night in the Cavs’ home opener, and it was a performance filled with thrilling moments and others that raised eyebrows. Mitchell showcased his offensive presence as a scorer, from running dunks to pull-up shots to a buzzer-beater 3 at the end of the third quarter. He finished with 37 points, four assists, five rebounds, three steals and six turnovers, leading the Cavs to a 117-107 overtime win over the Washington Wizards.



“When we came out, we ran out … first of all, it felt like a playoff game,” Mitchell said. “That was nuts. Then we had the intro; that was crazy. There were just segments throughout the game where I caught myself smiling a few times. I’m trying to lock in, but I’m just looking around like, ‘Holy shit.’ The crowd’s electric. I heard about it. I’ve played here, but I don’t think I ever heard it like that. Actually, I came to a Finals game in ‘16, and that’s when I heard it like that. But to be on this side of it and to hear the crowd just going nuts, it’s incredible. It’s incredible to be a part of that. Like I said out there, 41 of these at the minimum and continuing to go from there once you get to the playoffs, and I’m excited.”

In the early days of the season, Mitchell has shown consistency in his game and continuously demonstrated that he is exactly the guy the Cavs traded for just a few short weeks ago.

Mitchell now holds a franchise record of three straight games of 30-plus points to start the season. He was also the first Cavs player to open a season with back-to-back games of 30-plus points. His 100 total points through the first three games are the most ever by a Cavs player through the first three games of a season. Austin Carr previously held that title with 90 points in 1974-75.

He is also breaking records outside of the Cavs’ franchise. Mitchell is just the third player in NBA history to score 30-plus points in each of his first three games with a franchise, according to Elias Sports. Mitchell sits behind Wilt Chamberlain with Philadelphia – eight straight games in 1959-60 – and Glenn Robinson with Atlanta – three straight games in 2002-03.

“Just a determination to help the team win,” Bickerstaff said. “The ability to pick his spots, take control of the game when he needs to. The leadership, you know what I mean, the want to carry his teammates with him, the way he embraces his teammates. It’s a needed 37, right? They’re not empty 30s that you’re seeing from him. We need every one of them.”


But in the midst of his – and Cleveland’s – success, Mitchell felt the need to apologize.




There were untimely mistakes that proved to be costly. Two of Mitchell’s six turnovers came in the final 40 seconds of the fourth quarter, which allowed the Wizards to tie the game at 103 and send it to overtime. Mitchell also had a stretch of six missed field goal attempts in the last eight minutes of the game. The turnovers took Bickerstaff a bit by surprise because he knows how secure Mitchell is, and how dynamic he is when he has the ball in his hands. Bickerstaff said he and Mitchell have to have some more conversations to ensure he’s getting the necessary rest in the game and that he ran Mitchell in long stretches throughout Sunday.

Mitchell apologized not only to the fans who were still in the arena after the game but also to his teammates and in his postgame interview. He acknowledged those mistakes.

“I personally didn’t like the second half of the game as a whole for me,” Mitchell said. “The third quarter was OK, but the fourth quarter was an absolute disaster in my eyes. That’s where I’ve just got to be better. Ultimately J.B. looked at me and was just like, ‘Let’s go,’ like overtime. When you have that trust, you go out there and forget everything that happens, and you just go out there and play.

“Those last three possessions – the turnover, the turnover, and the missed 3 – we should have been home an hour ago,” Mitchell later said. “That’s really where my head is at. We’ll take the win, but I promise you for the next day and a half, all I’m going to be thinking about is finding ways to execute late-game and being the best for my team, and I wasn’t. I missed like five, six in a row… and turning the ball over. I knew I wasn’t my best, but my teammates held (calmed) me down and continuously uplifted me.”

Guys recognized Mitchell taking ownership of those mistakes both in the moment and also following the game.

“That’s just how he is,” Jarrett Allen said. “He wants to do everything right to the best of his ability. Even when he is doing stuff right, he still feels like he is doing stuff wrong. Shows humility. He wants everyone, not to accept him, but to make sure he is doing the right thing.”

Mitchell also took the last shot of the game, releasing a 26-foot step-back 3 that would have given the Cavs the lead as time expired. But the shot was long, and didn’t go in, sending the game to overtime.

Mitchell said that shot is one of his favorites, though, whether he takes it as a 2 or a 3. He especially likes that shot when he goes right because Mitchell is a downhill driver, so that he can create the necessary space. He works on the step-back jumper the most. He felt like it was going in, but was ultimately happy that it went long instead of short.

“If I had missed it short, I would have been pretty pissed because that means I’m tired, and I didn’t get my legs into it,” Mitchell said. “I thought it was good, and I got to a move that I wanted to get to. Ultimately it didn’t go in, but I’m going to take it again if I’m open and continue to trust it.”

As Mitchell stood at the free-throw line with 31.5 seconds left in overtime, fans in Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse began to chant M-V-P. M-V-P. M-V-P. He heard those chants, of course, and appreciated them even if he knows he has not earned them yet.

“I’m very appreciative of it, but I got a lot of work to do to get there,” Mitchell said. “But I’m very appreciative of just the love. Like I said, from the first day, from the moment I got off the plane and it hasn’t stopped. And I’m honored and blessed to be able to be in this position. And like I said, I’m just doing my part with the trust of my teammates, of my coaches. Just going out there doing what I can and then when DG gets back, continuing it and just taking it to another level.”

Then, when Mitchell stood on the court following the game, conducting a postgame TV interview, Darius Garland ran over, yelling, “YEAH,” and hugged Mitchell before walking off the court. Allen soon after came up behind Mitchell and dumped a water bottle over his head in celebration.

In just three games, Mitchell’s role has slightly shifted. While he started the season opener next to Garland in the starting backcourt, Garland’s eye injury has kept him out for the last two games. The Cavs wanted to stagger Mitchell and Garland to keep one of them out on the floor at all times, but for now, Mitchell has had to step up to lead the Cavs at point guard, facilitating and creating on the offensive end.

Bickerstaff noted how Mitchell is much more than a scorer.

“When you’re on the outside looking in, and his time in Utah, he’s always played with another lead guard, so to speak, but he’s got point guard instincts with the ability to score the ball at an elite level,” Bickerstaff said. “He knows how to play the game. You watch small things like the passes that he makes to his teammates are right where the passes should be. Very rarely do you see a guy have to reach or turn his hands upside down when Donovan is making those plays. I’ve been impressed with it, to be honest with you. A lot of guys who are scorers, that’s just what they are. But Donovan is a playmaker, and the scoring just happens to be the right play at the time, and he’s able to make those plays.”

In a few short weeks, the Cavs have rallied behind Mitchell. He has been enveloped in the culture of Cleveland and has already established his voice as a leader.

“He’s just a good dude,” Allen said. “That’s what it boils down to. He is easy to talk to; he doesn’t boast about his accomplishments, he is one of the hardest workers every single game in the gym. It’s easy to root for a guy like that and easy to follow somebody’s lead like that.”

Evan Mobley is finding his offensive rhythm — and it’s an important piece for the Cavs’ success


Oct 26, 2022; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers center Evan Mobley (4) dunks during the second half against the Orlando Magic at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
By Kelsey Russo
8h ago


CLEVELAND — Evan Mobley, in a way, is still in his preseason.

That’s how Cleveland Cavaliers coach J.B. Bickerstaff described the first week of Mobley’s sophomore season, trying to set a fair precedent for the 21-year-old’s early-season performances.

After dealing with an ankle sprain that kept him out of the end of training camp and the first three games of the preseason, Mobley didn’t get a chance to play alongside the backcourt duo of Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell until the season opener, or with the trio including Caris LeVert. Then, when Garland suffered an eye injury in the season opener, lineups changed again. Mitchell shifted to point guard while Bickerstaff experimented with Isaac Okoro and Dean Wade in the starting lineup.

“We’ve gotta get him more involved,” Bickerstaff said of Mobley following Tuesday’s practice. “Again, it’s a mix of time together and where he was in the preseason and then him coming back and then Darius being gone. There are some things that we’re still working through. He’s so skilled and so talented, and we want him involved in our offense in a bunch of different ways.”

In his first three games of the season, Mobley didn’t take double-digit shot attempts. The most he shot was nine attempts against both the Toronto Raptors and Chicago Bulls. He finished those games with 14 and 16 points, respectively. Against the Washington Wizards, Mobley shot 28.6 percent from the field and made just two field goals.

Bickerstaff said that with both Toronto and Chicago’s individual systems, they tend to switch more. Against the Wizards in the home opener, Mobley noticed how Washington bumped him early and how they packed the paint and sent double-teams to him, which he saw during his rookie season. It’s more the mental aspect of finishing through contact that he has to turn to in those situations.

“I feel like I’ve gotten off to kind of a slow start,” Mobley said at Wednesday morning’s shootaround. “I’m just going to stay consistent with it. I know shots are going to start falling, and I’m going to be in a better position to take those shots as well.”

After his first few games, Bickerstaff wanted to find a way to get Mobley more involved in the offense. Bickerstaff liked the shots Mobley had taken during the first three games of the season, but recognized a need to get him more attempts.

On Wednesday, in the Cavs’ 103-92 win over the Orlando Magic, Mobley found his offensive rhythm, especially in the second half of the game. His first points in the second half came off a second-chance layup. He then opened up the fourth quarter with an alley-oop dunk off a lob pass from Cedi Osman. Less than a minute later, Mobley caught another pass from Osman to finish for a dunk. Mobley made a concerted effort to go after the ball when it got stagnant in the second half, something the Cavs have been working on.

Mobley took 15 field-goal attempts, hitting nine of his shots, and finished the game with 22 points. He scored 17 of his total 22 points in the second half. He shot 9-of-15 from the field and 4-of-6 from the free-throw line. Mobley’s second-half efforts, paired with Allen’s impressive play, earned the two Cavaliers the Junkyard Dog Chain award for the night.

Mobley was looking to attack more in the second half and said he felt like once he attacked a few times, he found that flow.

“He was determined to help us win this game,” Bickerstaff said. “We know what he’s capable of. We believe in him a lot. And he was attack-minded, and he went out to prove a point. I think he did that.”

Mobley said he’s gotten in better shape after missing time with the ankle injury, when he couldn’t run or work out the same way. He and Bickerstaff continue to have daily conversations and recently talked about where and when good timing and space are for Mobley to score.

The Cavs have multiple offensive threats on the floor with Mitchell, LeVert and Allen, so Mobley said part of the adjustment is finding where and when everyone can get their shots. With Garland still sidelined, the Cavs’ offense looks different.

Mobley knows where his comfort spots are on the floor. He’s comfortable getting the ball around the elbow or mid-post area. He’s also comfortable posting deep in the paint, where he can get 2 feet in and get an easy layup. When he’s at the elbow, Mobley said, he can playmake from that spot, ISO one-on-one or blow by defenders.

For the Cavs to meet their overall goals this season, they need Mobley’s to be strong and consistent, building off his rookie season. Last year, Mobley averaged 15 points per game, shooting 50.8 percent from the field, 25 percent from 3, and 66.3 percent from the free-throw line.

During training camp, Bickerstaff noticed how Mobley played with a freer mind on the offensive end of the floor. He was looking to be more of a creator and attacker simultaneously. Bickerstaff also called Mobley “the guy who can help take us to the next level” and said there was a visible change of attitude in Mobley heading into this season. To do that, Mobley has to find his place like he did last season in their offense.

“Evan’s basketball IQ is what we teach every single day,” Bickerstaff said during training camp. “We were talking about teaching guys how to play basketball; that’s what Evan excels at naturally. He just understands the game at a higher level than most second-year players do, and even as a rookie.”

Wednesday night against the Magic provided more flashes of that. His teammates know what to expect from Mobley but took notice of the steps forward.

“Every time he touched a ball, he’s looking to be aggressive,” Dean Wade told The Athletic. “That’s always good to see, especially out of him. Sometimes he goes to make a play but doesn’t look to score, and I think tonight he was always looking to score, and that’s what we needed him to do. So when he plays like that, we’re a hard team to beat because he’s going to take at least two guys to stop him. And he’s obviously a great passer, so he can make those passes out. Tonight was exciting to see him just attack every time he touched it. It was fun.”

Allen saw another level of fight from Mobley in how he battled in the paint, going after his own rebounds. It was another example to Allen of where Mobley can be out on the court and what he can do when he is out there on the offensive end. Allen said he showed “why he’s Evan Mobley.”

So, what exactly does it mean to be Evan Mobley?

“Be the best player out there every night,” Allen explained. “That tenacity — he’s a quiet guy, we know that. He still can come out there with a lot of energy and do what he does, make buckets and block shots.”

Question for those who watch Cavs game; I only follow the pbp on my phone.

LaVert is shooting just under 50% on 3 pointers. but on 2's he's 3 for 24. What are all the close-in shots he misses? Layups gone awry? Contested shots just before the clock expires?

Lloyd: Is Cavaliers’ Donovan Mitchell even better than we thought?


By Jason Lloyd
Oct 31, 2022
28

Save Article
Donovan Mitchell is better at basketball than I realized.

It’s early. Far too early for sweeping declarations, but some things are just too obvious to avoid. Let’s call this a confession.

I knew Mitchell could score. After he dropped 57 in a playoff game in the NBA bubble, we all knew he could score. It’s more than that.

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It’s his awareness and the way he sees the floor. How his shots never feel forced and yet he has a natural feel for the game and when (and how) to get his teammates involved. The way he’s guarding and playing both ends of the floor. His explosiveness.

The Cavs knew they were acquiring a three-time All-Star. He may be even better than they realized.

“I think this has been my best stretch in my career,” Mitchell said Sunday after assaulting the Knicks with 38 points and a career-high 12 assists in a 121-108 win.


The Knicks will always be tied to Mitchell after their summer flirtation, when Mitchell acknowledged he thought he was headed home and the Knicks, at least at one point, seemed intent on making that happen.

Cavs president Koby Altman pounced when those talks unraveled with a deal that might ultimately be better than what the Knicks ever offered. This could be a rare time when both sides win and get exactly what they want out of a deal.

Utah’s surprising 5-2 start likely isn’t sustainable, but the Jazz have already gotten a game-winner from Collin Sexton, and Lauri Markkanen is off to the best start of his career. Markkanen is back at his natural power forward position and putting up the type of numbers expected of him when Chicago drafted him seventh in 2017. Those weren’t even the key pieces of the deal. The future unprotected picks and pick swaps are what Utah most coveted. If it finds a franchise pillar along the way, even better.

And yet the Cavs will gladly trade all of that again and again for this version of Mitchell. They’ve won five straight after an opening-night loss, and they’re doing it without Darius Garland. They’re doing it without Ricky Rubio. In a loaded Eastern Conference, when they’re healthy, Mitchell’s arrival means the Cavs can be as good as anyone.



He’s fourth in scoring and top 10 in assists. He brings that juice and the ability to elevate the play of those around him every time he steps on the floor.


GO DEEPER

Cavs' Donovan Mitchell loves his hometown Knicks – but still wants to beat them

The Cavs trailed by nine entering the fourth quarter. Mitchell’s fiery dunk over Isaiah Hartenstein was followed by his dazzling four-point play to tie the game at 99 with 7 minutes, 25 seconds to play. Kevin Love and Mitchell combined to score the Cavs’ first 20 points of the fourth quarter.

“We already had such a great group, but I think he just elevates us to another place,” Love said of Mitchell. “A guy that has experience, a guy that is a star in this league is playing some great basketball right now. … We don’t see any signs of him slowing down.”

I wondered if I was alone. Was I the only one who missed the real Mitchell? I watched enough Utah games over the years to know he was a terrific scorer but was he always this good? I asked Love if this version of Mitchell tracks with what he saw in Utah.

Love told me he didn’t watch a ton of Jazz games, either. He knew Mitchell, but not well. He was thrilled with the trade but not sure what to expect. Turns out, Mitchell is better than Love thought, too.

“Part of it (is) being a fresh start for him, that he wants to prove himself in a different way and show that he can win and win big,” Love said. “With our personalities and just the type of team and coaching staff and organization that we have here, he fits in and blends in perfectly with us. So he gets to be a hundred percent, unapologetically, Donovan Mitchell. And that’s who we want him to be.”

When I asked Mitchell after Sunday’s game if this is how he played in Utah or if something has changed, Mitchell laughed before I could even get the question out. He tries to stay off social media, but he can’t avoid it entirely. He has seen similar thoughts this season from fans on Twitter.




Mitchell was often burdened with carrying the bulk of the scoring load in Utah. Once in his five seasons, he had another 20-point scorer. Usually, it was just him. Mike Conley’s arrival gave the Jazz another playmaker, but it fell primarily on Mitchell to get all the big baskets.

Maybe it’ll evolve into that here, too, but that seems unlikely. Not with Garland and Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen and even Love, whose don’t-let-the-old-man-in explosion for 29 points and eight 3-pointers in 22 minutes Sunday was a subtle reminder that this Cavs team is so deep and versatile it can win many ways.

Mitchell can lead this team in scoring and still have enough help to continue making all the winning plays he has to start this season. He doesn’t expect to go for 30 points and 12 assists every night, but when Conley was injured in Utah, Mitchell said he had plenty of nights like this. He doesn’t think he’s any different than he was in the mountains, even though the rest of us tend to disagree.

“We were in Mountain time. No one really watched us, so you kinda fall under the radar,” Mitchell said. “I feel like I’ve just been doing this nonstop, and I just continue to get better and more efficient.”

The one thing we can agree on is that Mitchell is going higher and higher. He’s taking the Cavs with him.

The team seems to be pretty good!! !!

Like the Guardians they are a great late in the game and extra innings/overtime club. Thy ran away from strong opponents in both of their overtimes. They have come from 9 back, 15 back to win.
And this is all without Garland.

I don't know if you watch them civ but it's eerily like the Lebron era.

Mitchell is so athletic and so unselfish that he is just taking over games. And he can do it because his handles/driving are very Kyrie-like.

And his passing is Lebron-like.

They got a steal there.

Mark, I think you described Mitchell perfectly. The unbelievable thing is that the Cavs are still getting use to playing with each other. Remember when it took Lebron almost 2 seasons to get it straight with Miami. Wait until Rubio is ready !

Mitchell basically stepped out of the way of Garland for 3 quarters last night.

I think D Wade is the best overall solution for small forward right now.

Caris Levert is as hard to figure out as his first name. I would hope that someone would offer the Cavs a real small forward for him and someone else.

To answer one question, no I don't watch the games, I just follow them online.

So relying just on stats and other articles I read, I'm not sure Lavert is that bad. He certainly is inconsistent but he is capable of scoring 41 points; he made a preseason list of top 100 NBA players; and he's a rare tall guard for the Cavs.
But I do like Wade, partly because I like overachievers, see e.g. Kwan, Steven.

Great example of LeVert. 41 points one night. Next game 1 point and he played about the same amount of minutes. He is a really streaky shooter with very short streaks !

how's his defense? while Garland was out he had some good assist totals. I have to assume he is a useful piece behind the big 4.

Defense to me at small forward goes Okoro, Wade and then LeVert.