The Cleveland Cavaliers have been a pleasant surprise this season, sitting at the fourth seed of the Eastern Conference, with a 23-14 record. They have compiled some impressive wins along the way to be the fourth seed, too. With the trade acquisition of Donovan Mitchell, this now-past offseason, the Cavaliers are looking to be a legit threat to come out of the Eastern Conference.
With that being the case, it never hurts to do some logical, fine-tooling to give the Cavs the best chance at winning a championship. Here are two New Year’s resolutions for the Cavaliers.
No. 1: Trade for a battle-tested vet:
The Cleveland Cavaliers have a lot of talent on their roster. Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley, Darius Garland, Jarrett Allen, Caris LeVert and the list can go on. Out of all of that talent, they’re not exactly battle-tested, when it comes to the playoffs. For Mobley and Garland, last year’s play-in was their first taste of any kind of playoff basketball. For Mitchell, the furthest he’s been is to the second round.
As we’ve seen in the playoffs, having that vital experience is crucial to any team advancing or winning. It’s not about gaining a scoring threat or a perennial All-Star, as much as it’s about gaining someone who can calm the troops down and giving them that right focus at the right time.
It’s understandable that the Cavaliers are reportedly expected to be in the trade market for a potential “short-term” wing option to help bolster depth, and vets such as Jae Crowder and Bojan Bogdanovic could help.
No. 2: Getting and staying healthy:
The biggest concern, in my opinion, for the Cavaliers is getting and staying healthy. Darius Garland, who is a top-tier talent, was sidelined with an eye injury at the beginning of the season and he may be sidelined, again more it seems, due to a thumb injury. He missed Cleveland’s last game, for what it’s worth.
If Garland does miss more time, with the thumb injury, it can potentially make or break the Cavs’ hopes of avoiding a play-in scenario. Evan Mobley missed the team’s last game of 2022, too, against the Chicago Bulls because of ankle soreness. Along with Mobley and Garland, defensive rim protector Jarrett Allen has missed time, as well, this season. Unfortunately, injuries can be a team’s worst enemy and it keeps hitting the Cavs.
If the Cavaliers can avoid any long-term injuries and/or key injuries from here in general, they could make a special run in these upcoming playoffs.