The Cleveland Cavaliers held their media day on September 30 with the team set to open training camp the following day at the IMG Academy in Florida.
Unlike their Eastern Conference counterparts, there were not a lot of new faces for the Cavs roster on media day, with Jaylon Tyson, JT Thor and Luke Travers being the only new participants.
The Cavs are relying on continuity and a new coaching staff to take this team to new heights in the postseason. Kenny Atkinson joined the Cavaliers as the new head coach and has become an exciting member of the franchise with his offensive mind and reputation as a player development coach.
With that said, there was a lot to take away from the players' interactions with the media. Here are the three main takeaways from the Cavaliers’ media day.
1. The Donovan Mitchell rumors were never real
Since Donovan Mitchell arrived in Cleveland in 2022, The chatter around the organization and the league was whether or not he would stay with the Cavs long term. Despite Mitchell constantly saying he was happy with the Cavs and giving no indication that he wanted to leave, the rumors persisted.
However, Mitchell put all those rumors to rest when he signed a three-year extension with Cleveland. What was really interesting though was that he said on media day that he made up his mind on staying long term in January or February.
"I can come in here now and breathe. This is my first media day in probably three years where I don't have people asking me 'What does it take for me to stay somewhere?'""Donovan Mitchell
So, all the talk about Mitchell needing a deep playoff run before he signed or him being unhappy with the roster were unfounded for months. The organization and team knew that he never wanted to leave in the first place. Mitchell has been dedicated to the team and the city from day one and he said that in his media day appearance.
Mitchell has enjoyed the two best years of his career in the Wine and Gold. He made his first All-NBA team and likely would have made another last year if he played 65 games. Now with no one worried about where he is going next, Spida knows it’s time to continue to elevate his game and the team to the next step in the playoffs.