Darius Garland makes Cavaliers immediately regret trading him away

The Cleveland Cavaliers traded Darius Garland for James Harden in a shocking and controversial move at the trade deadline. Six weeks later, Garland just made a bold announcement that the Cavs made the wrong move by trading him away.

It was certainly not an easy move for Koby Altman and the Cavaliers front office to make, but ultimately they felt that James Harden was bigger, healthier and more proven than Garland was, looking past the 10-year difference in age.

Harden has stepped right in and made his presence felt in Cleveland, with exquisite passes and late-game feel that has delivered multiple wins to The Land as they continue to battle in a contentious Eastern Conference playoff race.

Darius Garland is not struggling

For the breakup to feel like the right move, however, Garland would need to struggle in his new home. He would need to vindicate Koby Altman and company giving up on him. And yet Garland is not making things easy on his previous team.

Saturday night against the Dallas Mavericks, Garland started for his new team, the Los Angeles Clippers. He proceeded to hit eight 3-pointers, dish 11 assists and score a smooth 41 points - a dominant and historic percormance:

That was not merely a fluke, either, even though it was his best game of the group. Garland has now played nine games for the Clippers and is averaging 21.4 points, seven assists and 3.9 triples on a scorching 49.3 percent shooting from deep -- and all in only 28.6 minutes per game.

Garland was having a down year, struggling to get healthy after multiple toe injuries and re-aggravations. The Cavaliers saw the East getting away from them and were impatient with Garland's recovery -- and were not sure he would ever get back as the same player.

Were the Cavaliers wrong to trade Garland?

Were they wrong? Did Garland just need to recover in the short term before regaining his form as a dynamic scorer, shooter and playmaker? It's a small sample, but less than two months later Garland looks incredible.

There were other reasons to make the trade. Garland and Mitchell together were a defensive problem in the backcourt come the playoffs. Harden has more size, even if he's not known as a defender. And he will likely be a few million dollars cheaper next season, perhaps the difference in the Cavs being able to execute their offseason plan.

Perhaps the trade works out in the end; perhaps the Cavaliers make a run in a wide-open East and reach the NBA Finals. Perhaps Garland's injury issue pop back up. Perhaps Altman is exonerated for his decision.

For his past, Garland can ensure they regret the trade. And if he continues playing at this elite level, he will wash the Cavaliers in regret for giving up on him.