The end of the first half of the NBA season is approaching yet somehow, some way, the Cleveland Cavaliers are still in a position to possibly make the playoffs. This is due to a new play-in tournament that the league instituted during the Orlando area bubble last season. For further details on the play-in tournament and the structure, you can view those here, per an NBA.com official release
As of now, the Cavs have lost four games in a row and are in the midst of a five-game Western road trip. They lost to the Phoenix Suns on Monday which dropped their record to 10-15, and that record puts them at 10th place in the Eastern Conference.
They’ll be at the Denver Nuggets (12-11) on Wednesday, at the Portland Trail Blazers (13-10) on Friday, at the LA Clippers (17-8) on Sunday, and then the trip concludes by visiting the Golden State Warriors (13-12) next Monday. Interestingly the Cavs do not play the Sacramento Kings, Utah Jazz, or the Los Angeles Lakers on this trip.
If Cleveland miraculously makes the playoffs this season, it would be the first time since 2018. Coincidentally enough, 2018 was the last season LeBron James was here in Cleveland before he left for Hollywood to play for the Purple and Gold.
So here’s the question, regarding their outlook.
Should the Cavs pursue a playoff spot this season? Or should they focus on developing their young talent?
On one hand, the young guys could benefit from experiencing what it feels like to be in the playoffs (at least to a certain extent). It’s a similar situation to when Kyrie Irving and Tristan Thompson were drafted at no.1 and no.4 respectively in the 2011 draft. They were part of teams that never did anything and the Cavs always got high lottery picks.
But during the 2015 playoffs as well as the 2016 playoffs, Irving came into his own. If Kyrie didn’t get the experience of playing in the playoffs in both years, maybe he doesn’t become the superstar that he is today, especially if he doesn’t hit the game-winning three-pointer over Stephen Curry in Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals.
And Tristan Thompson had a huge impact throughout the series in his own right, too, such as when he got a double-double in Game 6 of the 2016 NBA Finals; he had 10.3 points and 10.0 rebounds per outing in that series as well.
Looking at the current Cavaliers situation, they have a young core with guards in Collin Sexton and Darius Garland, and rookie forward Isaac Okoro. All Sexton and Garland know is a losing culture. They haven’t been on a winning team since each of them got drafted by Cleveland in back-to-back years, albeit Cavs head coach J.B. Bickerstaff this season has helped the squad be more competitive, clearly.
Thus, getting to the playoffs would be beneficial for the young guys. Granted the playoffs will most likely be modified in some way, but it would still be the playoffs regardless. Making it to the playoffs is an accomplishment in itself, given Cleveland’s lack of stars.
Kevin Love could belong in the All-Star category, or near that realm, theoretically still, however, he hasn’t been able to stay healthy, although he does seem on track to return from a high-grade right calf/reaggravation pretty soon. Nonetheless, he hasn’t proven to be that go-to guy in crunch time when the Cavs need a bucket.
On the other hand, the Cavs are nowhere near being a legitimate threat to do anything in the Eastern Conference. They’re nowhere near the level of the Milwaukee Bucks, Philadelphia 76ers, Brooklyn Nets (even though the Cavs beat them twice), Boston Celtics and Miami Heat.
So perhaps the Cavs should drawback and focus on developing their young talent instead of trying to make the playoffs where they would most likely get promptly eliminated. Maybe they could sneak their way in via the play-in, but even that seems tough, with this current stretch leading into the All-Star break.
Perhaps there is a way to do both, and one could argue that could involve trading Andre Drummond earlier than later, and/or playing Dylan Windler more minutes maybe. In the case with Drummond, he doesn’t really fit in with the style of the NBA anymore and it doesn’t seem like he fits with this young team.
So if the Cavs can send him out in a trade and get a future draft pick/picks or acquire a young developmental paired with near salary matching, they could maybe improve their slim playoff hopes by having Jarrett Allen playing more minutes looking onward. That’s when Love is back, and while there will be trade rumors involving him, dealing him still wouldn’t be a simple move.
In that realm, a number of opposing NBA executives polled by HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto had varying opinions about Drummond’s potential trade value, and we’ll have to see what plays out with him/if he is ultimately dealt. For context, the Raptors are reportedly among those interested in Drummond, per Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer.
Moreover, while potential experience would be meaningful, the Cavs have their work cut out for them in getting there, anyway, and in a general sense, focusing on developing youth talent might be the proper route.