Cavs president of basketball operations Koby Altman and new head coach Kenny Atkinson held a preseason press conference on Friday.
Wine and Gold Talk podcastWho ranks 31st on our list of the 40 Most Influential People in Cleveland Sports?
as somebody who is capable of taking them to the next level. And I think he understands that some of the progress that they have made as an organization, the next step is, you know, going to the conference finals and the finals and they should be acting like that. They should make moves like a team that has those goals and aspirations. They should talk like that kind of team.
Something that multiple people inside the Cavs front office last year tried to get JB Bickerstaff to do, like demanded at points that he go deeper into his rotation and use some of the guys that this organization invested in and gave good money to. So those kinds of things and player development was something else that Kenny Atkinson spoke about once again today. Those kinds of things are like where JB Bickerstaff came up short.
advantageous situations. So yeah, and we’ve talked about on the podcast before, we’re talking about celebrating depth. just goes back to the conversation we had about all the injuries last year, particularly Donovan. I think another phrase that was used today was peaking during the playoffs, which I think we can all agree the Cavs have not done yet. Since Donovan Mitchell got here, they got embarrassed by the Knicks. And don’t think that had anything to do with celebrating depth or lack thereof.
This is just the natural progression of the team right here. You fired a coach who didn’t make the second round. So yeah, yeah, you better have some lofty goals right now because everything that you’re doing otherwise is telling me that.
Max Drews, however he wants to space it out and however he wants to construct those particular lineups, or is he going to say, no, I need somebody else that can run the team that can organize us on offense, that can get us into our sets and things along those lines. And that’s where either Ty Jerome, somebody that the Cavs like and believe in and is healthy now in full go, ready to go for training camp.
and a 10th guy is going to be, depending on how Kenny views that backup point guard spot, it’s either going to be Sam Merrill, Ty Jerome, and if he extends it to 11, then it’s both of those guys.Can I just say, there’s George Nhiang, perfectly good 82 game basketball player. Like I know the playoffs left a sour taste in everybody’s mouth. He didn’t shoot the ball very well.
Like that, so it’s very hard for especially somebody who’s trying to be very like nuanced and understanding of what is going on in each individual aspect of each player’s game for somebody who I literally haven’t seen play yet upfront and personal.
get somebody else that has a little bit more in terms of X’s and O’s, a little bit more in terms of in -game strategy and may have the ear of the locker room in a different kind of way, may have the belief in the players in the locker room in a different kind of way.
at how Kenny is going to try and go about stuff on the offensive end and on the defensive end and with his rotations. Like he is going to exhaust those pairings and he’s going to need to see a whole lot of evidence and data that they can’t work together. Each pairing can’t work together before he determines that he’s got to split those guys up or something like that.Yeah, the Cavs also did sign Jared Allen to an extension.
Just with his age, 23 years old, he’s just going to get better. So like this is a guy who we talked about the minutes being a little bit changed that we’re talking about usage being changed that we’re talking about three pointers, how much he’s handling the basketball, all those different things. And on multiple occasions on this podcast, we have talked about how much we can compare Evan Mobley to like Tim Duncan or Kevin Garnett or those kinds of guys.
You know, there’s a little bit more to his offensive game sometimes than people give him credit for. He’s got that little mid -range pull -up that he started knocking down last year. He’s got the hook shot with the right hand, the hook shot with the left hand. He’s a lob threat, things along those lines. So usage rate requires somebody else to lose touches and lose opportunities throughout a possession.
as people want it to be. And the other thing is, don’t look, the Cavs aren’t the Celtics, the Cavs aren’t the Denver Nuggets. However, you want to tier these teams these days based on what happened this off season. They have some work to do to catch that top tier. I think it’s fair to say that, but they don’t need drastic change. I think what they need is more creativity.
Kenny Atkinson can say, that’s a word salad right there. He can say, Evan grabbed the rebound and run, but then what? What happens if Evan Mobley runs up the court and then Donovan Mitchell’s clapping for the ball, which he always should be. Donovan Mitchell should always want the ball and the Cavs should always at least think about giving it to him, right? What happens then? Like Evan’s gonna have to like show some assertiveness.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
‘We’re right there with some of the best teams in the league’: Kenny Atkinson, Koby Altman discuss upcomingIn their return to a media setting on Friday afternoon, Atkinson and president of basketball operations Koby Altman discussed, among other things, the offseason approach, the expected changes and goals for this coming season:
Read more »
Koby Brea's upside is through the roof for Kentucky basketball this seasonKoby Brea is going to have an incredible season for the Kentucky Wildcats.
Read more »
TUSD board approves project to purchase 10 electric school busesKenny Darr is KGUN 9's Oro Valley reporter. Send your story ideas to Kenny at kenny.darrkgun9.com.
Read more »
Heads up dog owners: Sol Dog Lodge is getting a newer, larger campus in MaranaKenny Darr is KGUN 9's Oro Valley reporter. Send your story ideas to Kenny at kenny.darrkgun9.com.
Read more »
Sister reflects on brother's death in alleged domestic violence incidentKenny Darr is KGUN 9's Oro Valley reporter. Send your story ideas to Kenny at kenny.darrkgun9.com.
Read more »
UofA Faculty Chair cautiously optimistic about 2025 budget following financial crisisKenny Darr is KGUN 9's Oro Valley reporter. Send your story ideas to Kenny at kenny.darrkgun9.com.
Read more »