Koby Altman makes his presence felt as Cavs commit to LeBron

The Cleveland Cavaliers and LeBron James committed to each other yesterday, as general manager Koby Altman made his presence felt.

As the Cleveland Cavaliers overhauled their roster, infusing new energy into air rife with tension, there were two main takeaways from the days events.

First, Cavs general manager Koby Altman made his presence felt and has proven to be more than capable of replacing his deified predecessor, David Griffin.

Second, it’s easy to look at the Cleveland Cavaliers keeping the Brooklyn Nets’ 2018 first-round pick and see them add four players under contract through the 2018-2019 season and think that they’re preparing for life after LeBron James should the face of their franchise sign elsewhere in the offseason. They are.

They’re also showing their commitment to James, and winning, with the moves they made on Thursday.

That’s not speculation. Those are words from the horse’s mouth.

Statement from Altman (h/t Bleacher Report’s Greg Swartz):

"“We want LeBron to be here longterm. He’s committed to this team. I know for a fact he’s excited about each addition.”"

For those that watched this season unfold, the Cleveland Cavaliers went from being excited about their new pieces to being miffed by Isaiah Thomas’ consistently controversial comments. From believing they assembled a deep, talented and versatile team to seeing that they had too many one-dimensional pieces on an aging roster.

Teams punched them in the mouth out of the gate. They couldn’t keep up on defense, whether it was a one-on-one matchup, making rotations or keeping up.

Honestly, in a trade that was supposed to bring in a replacement for Irving, a versatile three-and-D defender and a potential top-five pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, the only part of the trade package that lived up to expectations is the draft pick.

Thomas was a high-usage, volume scorer who was incredibly inefficient and played with little effort on the defensive end.

He actually played so poorly and was such a headache that it seems the Cavs gave away a first-round pick to get him off the team. Thomas is just one season removed a NBA MVP candidate.

Crowder was an inconsistent shooter from outside and when it came to containing his man on the perimeter. He also may have been divisive in the locker room, failing to help up teammate Kevin Love up off the floor just after a team meeting was called questioning Love’s whereabouts and credibility.

The meeting Thomas had a starring role in.

You could see Thomas and Crowder secluded in a corner in a shootaround and see that the locker room had a tangible fracture.

Altman, seeing this, made a move to take advantage of their championship window instead of standing pat.

"“I’m a patient guy”, Altman said, “but yeah, with the window and opportunities that we had, it was the right time.”"

Acknowledging that the trade pieces from the Irving deal looked better on paper than on the court, Altman also made a move to rejuvenate James by overhauling the roster with younger and more versatile players. Altman said he sees “a renewed sense of joy” in James, who is excited about the new additions.

Considering the success the team had with Jose Calderon, George Hill is a great replacement for Isaiah Thomas. Like Calderon, Hill is a heady, low-usage sharpshooter. Unlike Calderon or Thomas, Hill is a reputable defender who can contain perimeter players on a consistent basis.

Replacing Crowder with Rodney Hood, a better scorer and outside shooter, was wise as well. The Cavs are at their best when they’re knocking down threes with volume and efficiency. While he was far from the only player shooting poorly, shooting 32.8 percent from three-point range (just a season after shooting 39.8 percent from the outside), isn’t going to cut it.

Removing the toxicity of Thomas was addition subtraction.

So too was the subtraction of Crowder, an underperforming and socially divisive figure.

Derrick Rose’s biggest problem may have been that Tyronn Lue felt inclined to play him over Calderon, who has outplayed him this season, and rookie Cedi Osman.

Osman has fans throughout the organization and is also the reason that Dwyane Wade was offered the opportunity to return to Miami. Osman’s energy, oft-quoted as “infectious”, and defensive impact make him a perfect piece for the rotation.

That was the role once held by injury-prone guard Iman Shumpert. However, Osman has proven to be a better shooter, decision-maker and finisher than Shumpert. All while being able to guard the same positions but at 6-foot-8 (Shumpert is 6-foot-5).

All in all, consider Wade and Rose to have been usurped by Osman and Jordan Clarkson. Their youth and vibrance will energize the team on and off-the-court.

Thomas and Crowder, teammates with the Boston Celtics, have been replaced by Hill and Hood, teammates on the Utah Jazz. While Hood isn’t a player relied on for defense, Hill is and will be responsible for guarding what can the most important position on the court. Both players bring size and a reliable outside shooting stroke to the table.

Neither player has an agenda.

Hood will be a mentor.

The biggest loss for the Cavs could be Channing Frye, a positive locker room presence and stretch-five who expanded his game this season. However, they’ve brought in a legacy player in Larry Nance Jr. who’s not just strong locker room presence but an exceptional athlete and defender who could be weaponized as an undersized center. Growing up with a father who was one of the Cleveland Cavaliers “Big Three” in the 1990s has benefited his basketball IQ.

While he’s not nearly the outside threat that Frye is, the Cavs will have a great balance of shooting, athleticism and defense before and after Love returns.

Altman and team owner Dan Gilbert for the roster overhaul, acknowledging their mistakes and attempting to maximize their championship window. Keeping the Nets pick is part of that; the chance to draft a top prospect and add it to next year’s roster — which seems more talented and could include James — is unprecedented.

James should enter this summer’s free agency with one thought in mind. The Cleveland Cavaliers did everything they could to make him happy and make themselves competitive with or without him. Businessman to businessman, that should earn James’ trust and confidence.

Related Story: Trade deadline about culture more than X's and O's

*All stats gathered from www.basketball-reference.com