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Cavaliers

This year has been a great reinforcer of the enjoyment of the process. The NBA season is 82 games, far more than many fans and observers alike would like there to be, and I can't blame them. (For the sake of player health and longevity, I'd love to see the season shortened.)
After a close loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Friday night in the Play-In Tournament, the Cleveland Cavaliers were ousted from the playoffs entirely, meaning their season had come to an end.
"End? No, the journey doesn't end here. Death is just another path, one that we all must take." 
- <a href="https://youtu.be/Rag_9J1ZC2g" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Gandalf</a> 
- Me watching the Cavs
Pull up Basketball-Reference, and you'll find the Cavs with a 44-38 record and the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference. A solid record at the end of the season. A good one even, if taking the past year into account. I was of the opinion that the Cavs might jockey with Play-In positioning at points this year, but ultimately would fall short of being a playoff team and take a meaningful few steps as a young squad.
That's what makes the regular season so precious to me. Watching the game-to-game, week-to-week evolution of this group was a special endeavor this year. I relish growth, persistence and consistency; the Cavs met all three needs with gumption. This is not a "watch the games bro" take, but rather an "I'm so thankful I got to watch the games bro" exclamation. Deducing what this team was this season down to its final record is a disservice.
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Just 11 games in, the Cavs lost Collin Sexton for the season. A month-and-a-half later, they lost sixth man and backup point guard Ricky Rubio as well. You might look at his efficiency or lack thereof and question his impact, but Rubio gave the Cavs' bench a verve that they were <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/mulling-over-6-options-for-the-cavs-with-ricky-rubio-out-for-the-year" target="_blank" rel="noopener">never able to replicate</a>.
All three frontcourt starters missed significant stretches of time, with Jarrett Allen's finger fracture throwing the team into a tailspin shortly after the All-Star Break
None of the primary starters this season played 70 games.
This was a team that was 35-21 a week before the break festivities in Cleveland, legitimately fighting for (and maintaining) home-court advantage in the playoffs for a significant stretch of the regular season.
The way the Cavs got there was even more enticing.
The first time I saw that J.B. Bickerstaff was starting Lauri Markkanen at the 3, I was vexed. I understood why, but thoroughly questioned its viability. Even prior to that, I was extremely critical of the Markkanen sign-and-trade in the offseason. Well, I was just flat-out wrong!
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Big to Big to Big <a href="https://t.co/5WlMaBYmoe">pic.twitter.com/5WlMaBYmoe</a>
&mdash; Mark Schindler (@MG_Schindler) <a href="https://twitter.com/MG_Schindler/status/1460317639629234180?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 15, 2021</a></blockquote>

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The three-7-footer lineup the Cavs started and leaned upon as their bread and butter all year was a delight. The big-to-big-to-big passing was joyous and impactful. It will be interesting to find out whether teams try to replicate a jumbo lineup without capturing the essence of why it worked. Having three players who all have size, mobility and skill is not an easy combination to find.&nbsp;
Markkanen's offense was up and down at times this year, but his defense should be lauded. He was a very rough defender his whole time in Chicago, and I was taken aback early this season by his effort and attentiveness &mdash; which never really waned by my eye. His game against Atlanta was phenomenal, even if marred by a late game turnover. Again, process, process, process.
Jarrett Allen earned an All-Star nod through his all-around improvements, becoming a legitimately switchable big man and the anchor of the Cavs' defense in the paint as their primary rim-protector. The offense really suffered without his gravity as a roller and his screening ability when he was out. He found new levels of aggression that he flashed late last year, and made it a consistent staple this year.
Allen's presence and Markkanen's strides allowed Evan Mobley to assert himself. His ground coverage is breathtaking, and it enabled a ridiculously aggressive, effective and quirky 3-2 zone to bend the court dimensions to the the Cavs' will.
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Evan Mobley <a href="https://t.co/hN41CbufIb">pic.twitter.com/hN41CbufIb</a>
&mdash; Mark Schindler (@MG_Schindler) <a href="https://twitter.com/MG_Schindler/status/1452408998926376968?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 24, 2021</a></blockquote>

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It should not be possible to cover the rim to the arc the way he does, but Mobley just does.
The flashes he showcased throughout the year as a face-up scorer and passer were wild, and lend credence to his exciting future as one of the brightest young stars in basketball.
I won't quibble with anyone who voted for another first-year player as Rookie of the Year; there are so many different ways to view, appreciate and evaluate the game. This <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-stats-notebook-fighting-narratives-in-the-rookie-of-the-year-race" target="_blank" rel="noopener">rookie class is incredible</a>. I am still there with Mobley winning it.
Darius Garland quite literally was Cleveland's offense at points this year when the team was depleted. His off-the-dribble ease and marksmanship open up his game as one of the best passers in the sport. In spite of the finish to the year, he and Allen were rightful All-Stars at the time. Garland's growth over the past two years, along with Mobley's ascension, provides the foundation of one of the more intriguing young cores in the NBA. There's still a great deal for the pair to grow both individually and together!
Kevin Love had an awesome bounce-back season, warranting Sixth Man of the Year buzz before the Cavs (and he) tailed off down the stretch. Cedi Osman is still an absolute bundle of chaos, but Cleveland was better because of him, putting together his most efficient season since his rookie year.
The Cavs will keep their first-round pick in the 2022 NBA Draft (14th-best odds), as the pick will not convey to Indiana due to lottery protections (part of the Caris LeVert trade). Given how the season ended, this is a silver lining. Cleveland needs wing depth and more shot creation.&nbsp;
I <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/enjoying-the-little-things-of-the-nba-season" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote about Isaac Okoro</a> and his impact earlier this season, highlighting the little things he honed in on to imprint himself on both ends. He played 34 minutes combined in the two Play-In matchups and took 6 shots. I don't have an answer now &mdash; it's something I want to dive into further in the offseason &mdash; but the Cavs really need Okoro to make significant strides as an offensive player.
I do think some have been too quick to cast off the positive things he has done and what he can provide, but Okoro's current limitations were put on display in those contests. If he runs ball-screens, the defense goes under and forces a pass-out-and-reset or a shot off the dribble. If he's spaced off the ball, he's left open in the corner. The defense is really, really good, but the offense needs to come along.
Speaking of offense, the Caris LeVert trade was made with the purpose of bringing in another shot-creator and offensive engine. I am so interested to see what happens between LeVert and the Cavs this off-season.
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Caris LeVert on the importance of a contract extension with <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cavs?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cavs</a>: "Yeah, this is where I want to be. They know that. The front office knows that, my teammates know that. So I don't know what's gonna happen with that contract extension, but I know where my heart is."
&mdash; Kelsey Russo (@kelseyyrusso) <a href="https://twitter.com/kelseyyrusso/status/1515360464263385098?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 16, 2022</a></blockquote>

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I understood why the Cavs made the trade at the time, going in on this season to try and make a real playoff run without fully hindering their intermediate future and flexibility. I just really struggled to be into the move from a personnel perspective, and I'll have even more questions once/if Collin Sexton returns next year.
I have no idea what to think about Sexton's future in Cleveland. He is a really good player with some flaws that can be a bit exacerbated playing alongside another small guard. His numbers were down and his shot wasn't right to start the year, but he was playing some of the best team basketball of his career to start the year. I don't know what the answer is for Cavs president Koby Altman, general manager Mike Gansey and the front-office brain trust, but they have a lot of decisions to make over the next few months as they continue to shape this team.
Hard decisions are a good thing! To look at where the Cavs were two years ago at 19-46 with questions about their infrastructure to where they're at now... that's pretty good!
The way they handle those head-scratching conundrums over the summer will ultimately mold their future playoff aspirations and viability. The 2021-22 Cleveland campaign was one of the more unexpected and exciting runs that had some unfortunate road bumps.
But the point remains that the future of the Cavs is much brighter today than it was eight months ago, and where this team is at by this time next year will have been set up by the trials and tribulations of this year.
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The Cavaliers' season came to an end last night, but their year as a whole was one for the books.

Recognizing the Cavs for who they were, could've been and may soon be

NEW YORK (AP) — Kevin Durant scored 36 points, leading a pair of fourth-quarter surges that carried the Brooklyn Nets into a tie for seventh place in the Eastern Conference with a 118-107 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday night. 
The Nets caught the Cavaliers at 43-38 with a game remaining and clinched the tiebreaker. They will finish seventh if they beat Indiana on Sunday in their final regular-season game. The No. 7 team hosts No. 8 on Tuesday, moving into the playoffs with a victory. 
The loser of the 7-8 game has a second shot at the postseason by beating the winner of the game between the Nos. 9 and 10 teams on Friday.
Kyrie Irving shook off a poor shooting night to finish with 18 points, eight assists and six rebounds. Bruce Brown had 18 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists for the Nets, who won their third straight. Andre Drummond had 15 points and 12 rebounds. 
Darius Garland scored 31 points for the Cavaliers, who dropped their third straight. They got rookie Evan Mobley back after a five-game absence with a sprained left ankle but are still missing All-Star center Jarrett Allen because of a broken finger that has sidelined him nearly a month.
Mobley and Lauri Markkanen both had 17 points. 
Durant scored 16 points in the first quarter but the Cavaliers defended well across the middle two periods and were ahead 93-89 early in the fourth. Durant then made a go-ahead 3-pointer during a 10-0 spurt that made it 99-93.
Cleveland got the next two baskets but Durant made another 3 to kick off an 8-0 run that put Brooklyn in control at 107-97 with about 4 1/2 minutes remaining. 
Durant was 6 for 7 in the first quarter and the Cavaliers barely outscored him, with the Nets leading 34-19. But he missed all three shots in the second and the Cavs worked their way back into it, getting within five before Brooklyn took a 62-54 advantage to the half. 
TIP-INS
Cavaliers: Cedi Osman turned 27. ... Former Nets swingman Caris LeVert scored 16 points. 
Nets: Coach Steve Nash, on the decision to waive veteran James Johnson on Thursday: “There’s a lot of tough decisions throughout the year, so that’s just another tough one and sometimes it’s a bit unforeseen where things are going to go and the decision was made. So we just have to move on and just keep coaching the group, keep pushing the group.”
CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR?
Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff said he wasn't offended by the notion that top teams in the East might have been angling to avoid the Nets and would rather face his young team.
“I mean, the perception or the reality of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving and the pieces that are around this team and the way that they’re coached, you can understand why people would want to do that,” Bickerstaff said. “But I’ll tell you this, if we’re healthy, we’re not a team people want to face.” 
SEEMS LIKE OLD TIMES
Allen and LeVert, who originally ended up in Indiana before being traded this season to Cleveland, were part of the four-team deal in January 2021 that brought James Harden to Brooklyn.
“It’s amazing. It’s probably been 13 months or something like that it feels like five years,” Nash said. “But happy for those guys doing well, playing on a good team and they’ve found a nice home.”
UP NEXT
Cavaliers: Host Milwaukee on Sunday.
Nets: Host Indiana on Sunday.

Brooklyn Nets improve playoff positioning with a win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Durant, Nets beat Cavs, in position to take No. 7 in East

Darius Garland had 24 points and 13 assists to lead the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 119-101 win over the New York Knicks on Saturday.
Garland led seven Cavaliers in double figures as Cleveland snapped a two-game losing streak.
Caris LeVert finished with 19 points. Moses Brown and Isaac Okoro each added 16. Brown also had 13 rebounds. Kevin Love had 15 off the bench. Cedi Osman and Lauri Markkanen both added 10 for Cleveland.
&ldquo;We're starting to put something together,&rdquo; Garland said.
Added Love: &ldquo;We're a very good team.&rdquo;
After a four-game winning streak, New York has lost two straight.
Obi Toppin scored a career-high 20 points. Evan Fournier had 19. Immanuel Quickley scored 17 off the bench. RJ Barrett finished with 12, and Alec Burks had 11 for New York.
&ldquo;We lost today so it really doesn't mean anything to me,&rdquo; Toppin said about his career day. &ldquo;We (have to) learn from today and just get better and win these next couple games.&rdquo;
The Cavaliers never trailed in sweeping the regular-season series. Cleveland shot 54.3% from the field (44-for-81) and 44.1% from 3 in the matinee at Madison Square Garden.
&ldquo;We finally made some shots,&rdquo; Garland said.
New York was 31-for-77 from the field (40.3%) and 13-for-30 from 3 (43.3%).
But the Knicks were unable to score a go-ahead basket at any point. And Cleveland took every opportunity to build on its advantage including a 57-second sequence in the third quarter.
Barrett made one of two free throws to cut the deficit to 80-74. The Cavaliers responded with an Okoro tip-in, an Okoro 3, and a spectacular two-handed dunk from Brown to push the lead to 13.
The spurt increased into an 22-11 quarter-ending run, allowing Cleveland to enter the fourth with an 102-87 advantage.
&ldquo;It was definitely something we talked about within the huddle in that second half,&rdquo; Love said of the Cavaliers ability to put the game away. &ldquo;When we got up we said we (didn't have to) stop and let's continue to make the right play; play for each other.&rdquo;
Osman&rsquo;s four-point play with 9:28 left put the game away.
&ldquo;They have a lot of guys who can stretch the floor,&rdquo; said Quickley. &ldquo;We didn't play our best.&rdquo;
Cleveland rookie Evan Mobley missed his third straight game with a sprained left ankle.
TIP-INS
Cavaliers: With slightly more than a week remaining in the regular season, the Cavaliers are in the midst of a playoff race. Entering the day, Cleveland was seventh in the East which places them amongst the teams in the play-in mix. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s obviously a step forward for us,&rdquo; Cavaliers coach J.B. Bickerstaff said before the game.
&ldquo;No matter what team has been built (and) how long they&rsquo;ve sustained success, they&rsquo;ve had to go through this process and they&rsquo;ve gone through the process of being heartbroken and learning through disappointment.&rdquo;
When asked specifically how he thought his team was handling being in a playoff push, Bickerstaff said he believed they were &ldquo;handling it well.&rdquo;
Knicks: New York star forward Julius Randle missed the game with an injured quadriceps, and coach Tom Thibodeau said before the game it is &ldquo;most likely he will be out the rest of the way.&rdquo; Randle, 27, averaged 20.1 points, 9.9 rebounds, and 5.1 assists in 72 games this season. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s had this nagging thing going on for awhile,&rdquo; he said.
Thibodeau said Randle will not travel with the team to Orlando for Sunday&rsquo;s game against the Magic. Following Sunday, New York will have three games left in what has been a disappointing season.
&ldquo;Most likely where we are, just let him get healthy and go from there,&rdquo; Thibodeau said.
UP NEXT
Cavaliers: host Philadelphia on Sunday.
Knicks: visit Orlando on Sunday.

Darius Garland had 24 points and 13 assists to lead the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 119-101 win over the New York Knicks on Saturday.

Darius Garland leads Cavaliers to 119-101 win over Knicks

ATLANTA (AP) &mdash; Trae Young scored 30 points and the surging Atlanta Hawks never trailed while beating the short-handed Cleveland Cavaliers 131-107 on Thursday night to clinch a spot in the Eastern Conference play-in tournament.
Cedi Osman led Cleveland with 21 points. Darius Garland had 18 points and eight assists while sitting out the final quarter of the blowout loss.
Cavaliers standout rookie Evan Mobley missed his second consecutive game with a sprained ankle. Cleveland has lost two straight and five of six as it attempts to keep the No. 7 spot in the Eastern Conference.
Young had nine assists as the Hawks' fourth consecutive win clinched no worse than the No. 10 spot in the Eastern Conference and a berth in the play-in tournament. The Hawks began the night one-half game behind Charlotte and one game behind Brooklyn.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;re in a tight race here at the end and we&rsquo;re starting to click at the right time,&rdquo; Young said, before offering the reminder the Hawks advanced to the Eastern Conference finals last year. &ldquo;We did the same thing last year and we were able to make a run.&rdquo;
Kevin Huerter continued his strong finish to the regular season with 23 points, his fourth consecutive game with at least 20 points. Clint Capela added 12 points with 14 rebounds.
Cavaliers coach B.J. Bickerstaff said before the game &ldquo;we&rsquo;re searching at this point&rdquo; for a playing rotation due to injuries. Guard Rajon Rando (ankle) missed his 10th consecutive game. Center Jarrett Allen missed his 12th straight with a finger injury.
Bickerstaff said he respected the Hawks' &ldquo;firepower&rdquo; and said &ldquo;they have the ability to blow you out because of that.&rdquo;
The Hawks delivered on Bickerstaff's assessment.
Atlanta took its first double-digit lead at 29-19 on Bogdan Bogdanovic's 3-pointer with 3 minutes remaining in the opening period. The Hawks stretched the lead to 20 points, 73-53, early in the second half on Young's 3 and extended the advantage to 30 points in the final period.
TIP-INS
Cavaliers: Mobley did not travel to Atlanta and is &ldquo;headed in the right direction,&rdquo; according to Bickerstaff. ... G RJ Nembhard was converted to a standard NBA contract. ... C Moses Brown had 15 points and 13 rebounds in his second consecutive start after he was signed to a two-way contract.
Hawks: C Onyeka Oknogwu had 17 points and 12 rebounds. ... There was no update on F John Collins almost two weeks after the team announced he would be out indefinitely with a plantar fascia tear in his right foot and a right finger sprain. Coach Nate McMillan said Collins &ldquo;is not doing anything as far as running and jumping&rdquo; but added &ldquo;we're not saying he's shut down.&rdquo; ... In a pregame ceremony, Young was presented the team's Jason Collier Memorial Trophy for community service. The award is given each year in honor of the late Atlanta center who died in 2005.
INJURY SCARE
Young played the third quarter after suffering what McMillan said he feared was a serious groin injury in the first half.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s been kind of sore these past couple of weeks,&rdquo; Young said. &ldquo;... I just took a wrong step and it kind of shocked me for a second. ... I&rsquo;ll be all right.&rdquo;
HUERTER&rsquo;S SCORING SURGE
Huerter is taking advantage of increased scoring opportunities, especially in games when Danilo Gallinari (right elbow contusion) has joined John Collins on the inactive list. Huerter sank five of six 3-pointers, his fourth consecutive game making at least four 3s.
Some of Huerter&rsquo;s shots are the result of defenses placing extra attention on Young.
&ldquo;Kevin has been getting more minutes, and playing with Trae the ball has found him,&rdquo; McMillan said.
UP NEXT
Cavaliers: Continue a stretch of three games in four days when they visit the New York Knicks on Saturday.
Hawks: Remain home to play the Brooklyn Nets on Saturday.

Trae Young scored 30 points and the surging Hawks never trailed while beating the short-handed Cavaliers 131-107 on Thursday.

Trae Young leads surging Hawks past struggling Cavaliers 131-107

CLEVELAND (AP) &mdash; All-Star point guard Darius Garland had 24 points and 12 assists, Evan Mobley had his NBA rookie-high 20th double-double and the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Detroit Pistons 113-109 on Saturday night.
Mobley finished with 12 points, 11 rebounds and six assists. Cedi Osman scored 16 points and Kevin Love had 14 points and 10 rebounds for the Cavaliers, who earned their 41st win to clinch their first non-losing season in four years.
&ldquo;And we&rsquo;ve got a lot of games left and a lot more opportunities ahead of us,&rdquo; Cleveland coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. &ldquo;The fans are always engaged here and you can feel the wave that comes over the building, which is why I think it&rsquo;s one of the best arenas in the league.&rdquo;
The Cavaliers extended their lead to 1 1/2 games over Toronto for sixth place in the Eastern Conference. They trailed 80-68 in the third quarter, but outscored Detroit 31-9 over the next 9:18 to take command and win for the 18th time in the last 23 home games.
Cleveland completed a back-to-back set after rallying from a 14-point deficit in the fourth quarter and beating Denver 119-116 in overtime Friday.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;re pretty tired from last night, but we had to do what we could to get the win,&rdquo; Mobley said. &ldquo;We really dug deep, and Kevin Love and Cedi rallied us back.&rdquo;
Jerami Grant scored 27 of his season-high 40 points in the first half and No. 1 overall draft pick Cade Cunningham added 15 points and 10 assists for Detroit. Saddiq Bey had 20 points, following up his career-best 51 at Orlando two days earlier.
The Pistons have lost five of six and have the second-worst record in the East at 19-52.
&ldquo;I was feeling it, but it really didn&rsquo;t mean nothing because we didn&rsquo;t get the win,&rdquo; Grant said. &ldquo;Once Kevin Love got hot, they got a lot of confidence and you could feel it. Honestly, I live for games like this because it reminds me of the playoff environment.&rdquo;
The Cavaliers are 3-1 on their longest homestand of the season, a five-gamer that concludes Monday against LeBron James and the Lakers. All-Star center Jarrett Allen missed his seventh straight game with a broken finger on his left hand.
A dunk by Marvin Bagley III gave the Pistons the largest lead of the game at 80-68, but Love drained three 3-pointers in a 14-1 surge to end the quarter and put Cleveland up one.
Grant was 6 of 7 on 3-pointers as Detroit built a 60-55 advantage in the first half. The Pistons used a 14-0 run, with six players scoring, midway through the second quarter to erase Cleveland&rsquo;s 36-27 lead.
&ldquo;It had a playoff feel, a playoff atmosphere and that was good for evaluating our young guys,&rdquo; Detroit coach Dwane Casey said. &ldquo;That team was playing desperate and we weren&rsquo;t, but there were a lot of positives to take out of this game.&rdquo;
ROOKIES ON THE RISE
Cunningham, Mobley and Raptors F Scottie Barnes are the top candidates for the Rookie of the Year award. Thunder G Josh Giddey, Rockets G Jalen Green and Magic F Franz Wagner also are in the upper tier of a very deep group.
&ldquo;This is going to go down as a top-three or four draft class of all-time,&rdquo; Bickerstaff said. &ldquo;There are so many guys who can play at a high level and play the game more maturely than their age.&rdquo;
Casey views the class similarly, saying, &ldquo;It&rsquo;s been a while since we&rsquo;ve seen a group like this. You could make a case for each player, but I&rsquo;m very biased for Cade.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Pistons: G Killian Hayes (head contusion) was not in uniform after being hurt Thursday at Orlando. &hellip; G Frank Jackson (lumbar spine spasm), G Hamidou Diallo (left finger sprain) and two-way G Chris Smith (left knee sprain) were unavailable. &hellip; C Luka Garza is on a G League assignment with the Motor City Cruise. &hellip; Detroit has a three-game home winning streak against Cleveland.
Cavaliers: G Rajon Rondo (right ankle sprain) worked out on the court late in the afternoon, but was inactive for the fourth game in a row. &hellip; F Dean Wade (right knee soreness) has not played since March 12 at Chicago. &hellip; Cleveland went to overtime twice in a three-game span, beating the Clippers and Nuggets, after not going beyond regulation in its first 67 contests.
UP NEXT
Pistons: Host the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday night.
Cavaliers: Host the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday night.

Jerami Grant scored 27 of his 40 points in the first half, but it wasn't enough to overcome Darius Garland's 24 points and 12 assists, as Cleveland beat Detroit 113-109.

Cavaliers beat Pistons 113-109 despite Grant's 40 points

Rookie Evan Mobley had 20 points and 17 rebounds, Lauri Markkanen scored 22 and the Cleveland Cavaliers widened their lead on Toronto in the Eastern Conference standings with a 104-96 win over the Raptors on Sunday night.
The Cavs won for just the second time in eight games. They're trying to get back to the playoffs for the first time since 2018 &mdash; and with just over a month left in the regular season, every game matters.
Darius Garland had 17 points and 10 assists, Cedi Osman added 17 points and Kevin Love 15 as Cleveland improved to 3-0 against Toronto.
Pascal Siakam scored 24 points and Chris Boucher 21 for the Raptors, who opened a six-game road trip without All-Star guard Fred VanVleet (knee soreness) or forward OG Anunoby (fractured finger).
Down 18 in the fourth, the Raptors closed within 100-95, but Garland made two free throws and Osman's steal with 56 seconds left helped seal it for the Cavs.
Injuries to VanVleet and backup Malachi Flynn led to Toronto coach Nick Nurse starting rookie Scottie Barnes at point guard. He finished with 19 points, 12 rebounds and six assists in 42 minutes.
As has been the case all season, the loss came with some concern for the Cavs. All-Star center Jarrett Allen left in the second quarter with a bruised quadriceps and did not return. He had six points and two rebounds in 10 minutes.
Cleveland came in having lost six of seven, but there were encouraging signs of the young team snapping out of its recent funk in a 125-119 loss at Philadelphia on Friday. A matchup against the team directly behind them in the standings figured to be a bigger test.
&ldquo;To do what we want to do, this is a moment and challenge for us,&rdquo; coach J.B. Bickerstaff said pregame.
Cleveland led by 13 at halftime and then overcame a brutal third quarter &mdash; 16 points, 1 of 10 on 3-pointers &mdash; by opening an 82-64 lead early in the fourth. Love then hit a 3-pointer and reserve Dean Wade delivered a thunderous dunk over Toronto's Khem Birch.
TIP-INS
Raptors: Finished 6 of 24 on 3-pointers. ... VanVleet has missed the past five games, but Nurse believes he'll be back &ldquo;shortly.&rdquo; Toronto is off the next two days and Nurse is optimistic the &ldquo;extra couple days will get him ready to go.&rdquo; ... Anunoby, averaging career highs in points (17.5), rebounds (5.5), has missed seven straight games.
Cavaliers: Markkanen added a season-high 12 rebounds. ... G Rajon Rondo (sprained toe) sat out his fifth game in a row while G Caris LeVert (sprained foot) missed his sixth straight. &ldquo;Both of them are taking steps in the right direction,&rdquo; Bickerstaff said.
COACH K TRIBUTE
Nurse attended Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski's final game at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Saturday night as a guest of Raptors assistant Adrian Griffin, whose son, AJ, is a freshman forward for the Blue Devils.
Nurse said one of his biggest takeaways from the event was Coach K's deep connection to the school.
&ldquo;It's incredible,&rdquo; he said. "The guy was there for 42 years. When I was 30, I had nine jobs already. It seems impossible that that was his vision and that was his plan and to execute it to such a level of magnificence.
"That's what he wanted to do and to keep it all together and do it in relationship-slash-family way."
UP NEXT
Raptors: At San Antonio on Wednesday.
Cavaliers: Visit Indiana on Tuesday to start a three-game road swing. Cleveland is 3-0 this season against Indiana.

Rookie Evan Mobley had 20 points and 17 rebounds, Lauri Markkanen scored 22 and the Cavaliers won 104-96.

Mobley, Markkanen power Cavaliers past Raptors 104-96

Cavaliers coach J.B. Bickerstaff was fined $20,000 by the NBA on Friday for his behavior while being ejected from a game this week.
Bickerstaff received two technical fouls and was tossed &mdash; for the first time as Cleveland's coach &mdash; by referee Natalie Sago in the third quarter of Monday night's 199-98 loss to the Charlotte Hornets.
The league fined Bickerstaff for using inappropriate language toward the officiating crew and not leaving the court &ldquo;in a timely manner.&rdquo;
Bickerstaff was angered by several calls and erupted with 8:36 left in the third quarter after Cavs forward Cedi Osman was whistled for a blocking foul.
Following the game, Bickerstaff said he apologized to his team, staff and children.
&ldquo;Nobody should see that,&rdquo; he said. "That&rsquo;s on me needing to improve and be better. It&rsquo;s a combination of frustrations, obviously, but I need to stay in the fight. I need to be better.&rdquo;
The Cavaliers have lost five of six heading into Friday night's game at Philadelphia.

The league fined Bickerstaff for using inappropriate language toward the officiating crew and not leaving the court “in a timely manner.”

Cavs coach Bickerstaff fined $20,000 by NBA after ejection

The Cleveland Cavaliers are legit, and the defending NBA champions now know it, too.
Kevin Love scored 25 points, Cedi Osman added 23 and the Cavs pulled off their most impressive win in what's become a turnaround season, 115-99 over the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday night.
&ldquo;This is not the Cleveland we knew over the past few years,&rdquo; Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo said. &ldquo;They have a good team and we have to respect them more. They're a playoff team and are fighting for the title themselves.&rdquo;
A year ago, the Cavs won just 22 games and found themselves in the draft lottery for the third straight season. Not only has Cleveland surpassed its win total already this season, but the Cavs (30-19) are tied for the most wins in the Eastern Conference.
&ldquo;It's who we are," Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff said when asked about the win's significance. "We take on all challenges. We don't run from anybody. We don't back down. We give everybody our best shot."
The Cavs made 19 3-pointers &mdash; seven in the second quarter &mdash; and won for the eighth time in nine games. They also leap-frogged Milwaukee in the standings, and served notice they've got bigger plans ahead.
&ldquo;We feel if we play hard and stay true to our system, we can beat anybody,&rdquo; said Love, a five-time All-Star thriving in a reserve role this season. &ldquo;I just want to bottle up what we have right now and stay hungry.&rdquo;
Darius Garland scored 19 and rookie Evan Mobley had 16 for the Cavs. Jarrett Allen returned after missing one game with an illness and had 10 points and 10 rebounds.
Antetokounmpo scored 26 points after missing a game with knee soreness, but had seven of Milwaukee's 19 turnovers that led to 31 points for Cleveland. Bobby Portis added 22 points and Khris Middleton 21 for the Bucks, who had their winning streak stopped at three.
Milwaukee has lost a season-high four straight on the road, and the trouble really started in the third period.
Cleveland regrouped after a slow start, tightened its perimeter defense and built an eight-point halftime lead. The Cavs then opened the second half with an 11-2 run that included three 3-pointers in a 48-second span by Garland, Mobley and Dean Wade.
The Cavs pushed their lead to 93-72 before Garland went out briefly with back tightness. The young point guard seemed to land awkwardly after making a reverse layup and went to the locker room for treatment before returning. Bickerstaff said Garland is OK.
&ldquo;They played lights out tonight,&rdquo; Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said. "I don&rsquo;t know what the right analogy is, but they played really well. They beat us pretty good. Live ball turnovers is when transition defense is the toughest, and we made a lot of them.&rdquo;
Before the game, Bickerstaff figured 3-pointers would be the key because of Milwaukee's preference to shoot them &mdash; and give them up.
After the Bucks made six 3s in the first quarter, the Cavs did them one better with seven in the second to take a 65-57 lead at the half.
While the outside shooting was impressive, Mobley had the most memorable bucket in the half when Garland slipped him a pass on the baseline and Cleveland's big man dunked over Antetokounmpo.
&ldquo;An incredible play,&rdquo; Love said. &ldquo;Those guys are so talented. There's going to be a lot of those plays coming.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Bucks: Milwaukee started 6 of 7 on 3-pointers but finished just 9 of 32. ... G Wesley Matthews (bruised left knee) missed the game. Budenholzer said Matthews stayed in Milwaukee for treatment. He could return for Friday's game or &ldquo;shortly after.&rdquo; ... Budenholzer said he sees the Cavs' confidence growing. &ldquo;They have a belief,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;You can see it and you can feel it.&rdquo;
Cavaliers: G Rajon Rondo became the 14th player to reach 7,500 career assists. ... Garland, Isaac Okoro and backup guard Kevin Pangos all share the same Jan. 26 birthday. At shootaround, the team made Mobley sing happy birthday to the trio. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s got pretty decent vocals,&rdquo; Wade said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;d like to hear him maybe a touch louder.&rdquo; ... Lauri Markkanen (ankle) missed his second straight game and is expected to sit out several weeks.
ALLEN SUSPENSION
Bucks guard Grayson Allen served the one-game league suspension he received for his flagrant-2 foul against Chicago's Alex Caruso, who suffered a fractured right wrist and could miss two months.
Allen traveled with the team and participated in the morning shootaround.
UP NEXT
Bucks: Begin a three-game homestand Friday against New York.
Cavaliers: Visit Detroit on Sunday.

Kevin Love scored 25 points, Cedi Osman added 23 and the Cavs pulled off their most impressive win of the season.

Love scores 25, Cavs make 19 threes and stun champion Bucks

In early December, it was <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/pacers-moving-to-substantial-rebuild-listening-to-trade-calls-on-stars" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> that the Indiana Pacers were seriously considering a rebuild and listening to offers for Domantas Sabonis, Myles Turner and Caris LeVert among others.
LeVert seems like the most likely to be traded of the bunch, and he has garnered interest from various teams in recent weeks. The Cleveland Cavaliers <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/cavaliers-showing-trade-interest-in-caris-levert" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly</a> expressed interest in the 27-year-old earlier this month, and apparently those talks are picking up steam.
&ldquo;Buzz that Caris LeVert could end up as a Cleveland Cavalier has increased recently,&rdquo; <a href="https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2952711-latest-nba-trade-intel-would-a-john-wall-westbrook-trade-really-help-lakers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">writes</a> Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report.&nbsp;
If a deal does go down, Pincus says that Cleveland would likely be sending Ricky Rubio&rsquo;s expiring contract to Indiana as part of the deal (for cap-matching purposes). Rubio tore his ACL and is out for the remainder of the season.&nbsp;
Pincus adds that &ldquo;it&rsquo;s unclear whether the Pacers covet Collin Sexton,&rdquo; who is also out for the rest of the season due to a torn meniscus. Perhaps Indiana would be interested in acquiring Sexton before he hits restricted free agency this offseason.
This season, LeVert is averaging 18.4 points, 4.1 assists, 3.6 rebounds, 1.6 threes and 1.0 steal on .447/.325/.800 shooting splits. Last season, he averaged a career-high 20.7 points, but he shot just 44.3% from the field and 31.8% from three-point range.
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LeVert joined the Pacers last January as part of the four-team blockbuster trade that also sent James Harden to the Brooklyn Nets, Jarrett Allen to the Cavaliers and Victor Oladipo to the Houston Rockets.
The trade may have <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-caris-levert-indiana-pacers-mass-kidney-health-update-saved-life-trade-brooklyn-nets-james-harden" target="_blank" rel="noopener">saved LeVert&rsquo;s life</a>, as a small cancerous mass was discovered on his left kidney during his post-trade physical. LeVert needed surgery to treat renal cell carcinoma of his kidney, which limited him to 35 games last season.
Ever since LeVert popped up as a possible trade candidate, people immediately started speculating that the Cavaliers could be a perfect landing spot for him. Hours after the bombshell report about the Pacers dropped, our Evan Sidery <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/examining-potential-trade-destinations-for-caris-levert" target="_blank" rel="noopener">mentioned Cleveland as his favorite potential destination</a> for LeVert:
&ldquo;Although the Cavs are in the same division as Indiana, they immediately popped up as my best-case scenario in a potential LeVert deal. Not only would LeVert be able to slide in at shooting guard in the short-term replacing Collin Sexton &mdash; who is sidelined with a torn meniscus &mdash; but he also fits Cleveland&rsquo;s long-term puzzle alongside Darius Garland, No. 3 overall pick Evan Mobley and potential All-Star center Jarrett Allen. LeVert is an ideal score-first complement to the gigantic frontcourt duo that is wreaking havoc on opposing offenses around the rim. From the Pacers&rsquo; point of view, the Cavaliers have a former top-five pick in Isaac Okoro who seems like an ideal roll of the dice and trade sweetener. Okoro is a strong, defense-first wing, but his offense still isn&rsquo;t developing at the rate Cleveland had hoped. Okoro&rsquo;s fit with the Cavaliers&rsquo; core is clunky, so swapping him out for LeVert is a major win for 2021-22 and beyond.
"Cleveland throwing out an offer to Indiana revolving around Okoro, Cedi Osman and a lottery-protected 2022 first-round pick has to at least lead to serious discussions. Osman is salary-filler with a contract only guaranteed through the 2022-23 season, but he&rsquo;s a solid shooter who can provide wing minutes off the bench. It&rsquo;s hard to peg LeVert&rsquo;s overall value, but a former top-five pick and a first-round pick make up a solid baseline and, honestly, this feels like the most realistic scenario as well. Cleveland is surprisingly in win-now mode, and LeVert adds a much-needed jolt offensively.&rdquo;
The NBA trade deadline is on Feb. 10, which is 17 days away.
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The Cleveland Cavaliers continue to make sense as a realistic landing spot for Caris LeVert.

Report: 'Increased buzz' that Caris LeVert could get traded to Cavs

Don't watch the ball when you're watching Tyler Herro.
You normally reserve that type of request when trying to get a better handle on team defense. Peep the scheme, learn the cadence of rotations &mdash; you know, the nuts and bolts of the less-appreciated end of the floor.&nbsp;
But I'm not referencing defense in this case. Don't watch the ball with Herro, even when he has the ball.
You may miss out on the slightly tighter handle, the cleaner in-and-out dribbles he uses to reject picks. You'll miss the head fakes he uses to sell his moves. Might even miss the snarl he unleashes on occasion after big buckets.
But that's okay. You can come back to that, eventually.
To fully understand the leap Herro has made this season &mdash; one that's taken him from a solid secondary to a 20-point scorer and Sixth Man of the Year front-runner &mdash; you have to start with his footwork.
It's light. It's coordinated. Balletic, even.<a href="https://twitter.com/NekiasNBA/status/1476015240920051712?s=20"> Some may say</a> it's among the league's best. But it's the foundation of everything he does.
Herro's shooting touch is easy to see, but it means little if he isn't able to access defensive windows to showcase it. His improved handle helps him navigates space, but his footwork unlocks a new world of real estate. Take this three from Miami's recent win over the Washington Wizards. Look at how economical this is from Herro.
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You'll notice just how delicately he moves &mdash; on his toes, ready to change directions or speeds at a moment's notice. Look at how he utilizes his right foot to both sell the drive (while sending Deni Avdija stumbling), and to explode backwards into a stepback jumper.
While Herro isn't able to consistently blow by guys off the strength of his burst or handles, his ability to decelerate and gather allows him to generate ridiculous separation.
Because of this, Herro has become Miami's most versatile &mdash; and most trusted &mdash; shot-maker. Over two-thirds of his two-point attempts have been unassisted this season, a massive leap from last season (54%). 33% of Herro's threes have been unassisted, a lower but still noticeable rise from the 27.1%. clip he posted the season before.
On stepback and pull-up jumpers, Herro has posted an Effective Field Goal percentage (eFG) of 47.8, per Second Spectrum. That&rsquo;s keeping pace with noted shot-makers like Bradley Beal (47.7), Khris Middleton (45.1), Luka Doncic (44.4), Brandon Ingram (43.1) and Paul George (41.6).&nbsp;
Herro isn't touching the paint as often as he did last season, but he is converting at-the-rim shots at a career-best mark (69%). He's added strength &mdash;<a href="https://www.foxsports.com/stories/nba/tyler-herro-sizzling-for-the-heat-again-after-offseason-transformation"> eating five meals a day</a> to add body mass during the summer &mdash; to make it easier to ward off defenders on his way to the basket. Being able to stop and pop is a valuable weapon, but it's even more dangerous if it can be complemented by all-out drives.
He is driving more frequently &mdash; and getting fouled more often on those drives. He's done a better job of absorbing blows, but he also has counters to make his rim trips more fruitful. Wrong-foot finishes. Early, gliding gathers. He's crouching even lower on drives to gain inside leverage on defenders, creating clean finishing windows for himself.
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And that's just what he's able to do on the ball. Off the ball, Herro's a smart mover in and outside of structure. He's a threat to pop outside or cut to the rim when the Heat go to their vaunted split action, the East Coast version of the Golden State Death Machine. Herro's knocking down 70% of his shots off cuts, and nearly 43% of his relocation threes, per Second Spectrum.
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Herro's leap has been one of the biggest reasons the Heat have been able to stay afloat near the top of the Eastern Conference, despite injuries to their two best players. His 20.6 points per game ranks second on the Heat, but leads all (regular) bench scorers in the league by a pretty solid margin. The difference between Herro and second place Kelly Oubre (16.0 points per game off the bench) is roughly the same as Oubre's gap to 12th place Cedi Osman.
Herro made waves before the season when he said he should be talked about in the same class as Luka Doncic, Trae Young and other young stars in the league. He may not be in that class, but that assertion doesn't seem as ludicrous as it did before the season started. He's balling, and there isn't much reason to believe he can't get even better.
&nbsp;
&nbsp;

Nekias Duncan breaks down the third-year leap of Heat guard Tyler Herro.

Tyler Herro is pulling up to the party

Following a non-contact injury in Tuesday night&rsquo;s loss at New Orleans, the Cleveland Cavaliers received devastating news on Wednesday afternoon. Ricky Rubio, the anchor of the team&rsquo;s second unit and mentor of many, has suffered a torn ACL in his left knee and will miss the remainder of the 2021-22 season.&nbsp;
Perhaps playing the best basketball of his career and coming off a tremendous run with the Spanish national team in this past summer&rsquo;s Tokyo OIympics, Rubio had averaged 13.3 points and 6.6 assists per game over 34 contests. Even more difficult to swallow, the veteran point guard suffered the ACL tear at the tail-end of a defeat where he nearly registered a triple-double and came close to leading the shorthanded Cavs to a road victory.
Game-in and game-out, Rubio provided Cleveland with an element it didn&rsquo;t have in previous years. Notwithstanding how he shifted the team environment with his selflessness and words of wisdom, he was a playmaker and consistently set guys up with passes inside and out, which set the tone for the wine-and-gold to move the ball at will. He was also aggressive with his own shot-making, averaging a career-high 12.1 attempts a night.
The impact of this injury will be felt with each passing game, especially considering that rising star Darius Garland entered health and safety protocols Tuesday afternoon. You can&rsquo;t overstate how crucial Rubio was to this group, which is why the Cavs must be proactive to fill the void.
No, making a panic trade is not the answer. While rumors of Ben Simmons are enticing to think about in practice, making the money work is too difficult. (Plus, it would require moving Kevin Love, who now is one of two seasoned vets left on the roster; not a good idea.) Not that you can predict these setbacks, but the timing couldn&rsquo;t be worse, as the NBA is currently in the midst of a COVID outbreak that&rsquo;s led to roster shortages. In turn, much of the player pool is limited because all kinds of players are being signed to 10-day hardship exceptions to temporarily combat it.
As it stands, the Cavs have Kevin Pangos and Denzel Valentine as their next-man up ball-handlers. Isaac Okoro got reps in that role at NBA Summer League as well. That said, there&rsquo;s no way they stand pat with what they have, particularly looking at the success they&rsquo;ve had to this point. You&rsquo;re not going to replace Rubio; that doesn&rsquo;t mean you say, "Oh well."
So who can Cleveland go after to soften the blow and keep the momentum going? There&rsquo;s a few names that come to mind.
Jeff Teague, Free Agent 
This might be the easiest route to take. Teague is a free agent and was a part of the Milwaukee Bucks championship run last postseason. He is only 33 years old still, and is capable of making plays for others. He can make the occasional three, yet more importantly, is able to orchestrate, organize an offense and work in the pick-and-roll.
Teague carries plenty of playoff experience, which is an added bonus, and won&rsquo;t be asked to do much defensively due to Cleveland&rsquo;s towering frontcourt. Since Garland is taking off, you&rsquo;re not going to ask Teague to take on starter&rsquo;s minutes. Having an experienced maestro like Teague come in to handle those responsibilities seems pretty logical &mdash; even if he can&rsquo;t replicate Rubio&rsquo;s production.
D.J. Augustin, Houston Rockets 
Option No. 2 for the Cavs could be to scour the market for teams who might be willing to part ways with vets in lieu of their developing talent. Sure, the Houston Rockets are putting D.J. Augustin out there to accelerate the maturation of their young guys too, but maybe Cleveland could muster together a small deal and include a future second-rounder.
Dylan Windler hasn&rsquo;t been in J.B. Bickerstaff&rsquo;s rotation this season as once expected. Could a package of the former first-round pick, Valentine and Pangos <a href="http://www.espn.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=y2l9644o" target="_blank" rel="noopener">do the trick</a>? Augustin is drilling 41.3% of his triples, and would be a welcome addition to the Cavs&rsquo; bench.
Kemba Walker, New York Knicks 
Out of necessity, Kemba Walker is back in the New York Knicks&rsquo; rotation. Hell, he just won Eastern Conference Player of the Week. Considering he just built his trade value back up in the span of 10 days, Cleveland would have to offer up something more significant. There&rsquo;s been plenty of reported interest from the Knicks on Collin Sexton, who&rsquo;s sidelined with a torn meniscus and is a restricted free agent this summer.&nbsp;
Would a one-on-one swap with some draft capital coming back to the Cavs be something to think about in regards to making a long-term move from New York&rsquo;s position? Or could the suddenly sharpshooting Cedi Osman and a future pick be intriguing for the Knicks at the wing position in the short-term? Who knows if Cleveland would be willing to do either for the veteran Walker, who&rsquo;s dealt with injuries recently; or if the Knicks would send him out following this hot stretch. What we do know is Walker can still play the game on the offensive end of the floor, and has plenty left in the tank for this specific role.
Goran Dragic, Toronto Raptors 
Currently dealing with a personal matter, Goran Dragic has appeared in just five games for the Toronto Raptors. His reputation as a lead guard precedes itself, and he&rsquo;s been productive in the past as a more aggressive type of player who draws attention with his rim pressure and outside shooting. However, he probably won&rsquo;t be attainable, as Dragic has a $19.4 million expiring salary. Outside of moving Lauri Markkanen and another player with a small contract, or the injured Rubio, you can&rsquo;t cobble together the right pieces to make a deal work.
Shane Larkin, Anadolu Efes 
The Cavs have already zagged while everybody else has zigged, as Nekias Duncan so eloquently put. Why not reach out to the EuroLeague? Shane Larkin is playing well with Anadolu Efes, averaging 12.8 points and 4.9 assists over 27 games. He&rsquo;s shooting the three at a 35.8% clip too. Larkin has four seasons of NBA experience and is only 29 years old, though he hasn&rsquo;t appeared in an NBA game since May 2018. Per TalkBasket.net, he has <a href="https://www.talkbasket.net/81151-shane-larkin-reportedly-agrees-to-a-contract-extension-with-anadolu-efes" target="_blank" rel="noopener">an out-clause in his current contract</a> should the Association come calling...
Until the Cavs address the loss of Ricky Rubio, they&rsquo;re going to have to play the DHO game with Evan Mobley and, when he returns, Jarrett Allen. Mobley is an exceptional passer and reader of the game, so putting the ball in his hands to run the offense is likely Cleveland&rsquo;s best possibility with not-so-great playmakers in the backcourt.
They&rsquo;re going to depend on their defense to get them through this grueling period, and then what&rsquo;s to come after. Nonetheless, the Cavs can&rsquo;t rest on their laurels with this kind of loss.
Considering these options would be a better idea than doing nothing, and knowing Koby Altman&rsquo;s sense of urgency, he&rsquo;ll have something up his sleeves sooner than later.

Who can Cleveland go after to soften the blow of the Ricky Rubio injury and keep the momentum going? Spencer Davies writes.

Mulling over 5 options for the Cavs with Ricky Rubio out for the year

Kevin Love and Darius Garland scored 22 points apiece, and the Cleveland Cavaliers tied their franchise record with 46 points in the third quarter of a 144-99 rout over the COVID-19 depleted Toronto Raptors on Sunday night.
Lauri Markkanen added 20 points and Garland had eight assists for Cleveland, which led by 47 points twice late in the fourth. The Cavaliers won their fifth in a row at home and made 22 3-pointers in a team-record 52 attempts.
It was Cleveland&rsquo;s largest victory margin of the season and the first time Toronto has lost by more than 17 points in 2021-22. The Cavaliers had 39 assists, two shy of the most in the NBA this season.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;re lucky to be in this position where we&rsquo;ve got such a good thing going on,&rdquo; Markkanen said. &ldquo;We play hard and we play unselfish basketball. Once we brought the energy we needed, the floodgates just kind of opened up after that.&rdquo;
Yuta Watanabe posted career highs of 26 points and 13 rebounds for Toronto, and Chris Boucher scored 21 points. The Raptors have 10 players in the NBA&rsquo;s health and safety protocols, including top scorer Fred VanVleet, rookie Scottie Barnes and Pascal Siakam.
&ldquo;We had to take a pretty good loss tonight, but we&rsquo;ll bounce back,&rdquo; Raptors coach Nick Nurse said. &ldquo;It was a good game for Yuta, and that&rsquo;s about it.&rdquo;
Toronto&rsquo;s eight-man active roster &mdash; featuring four hardship signees &mdash; had never been together until holding a brief practice on the main court at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse before the game. D.J. Wilson had 15 points and eight rebounds in his team debut.
&ldquo;We met those guys on the bus on the way to the arena,&rdquo; Watanabe said. &ldquo;Because we weren&rsquo;t permitted to do anything together the last few days, I spent a lot of time in the gym by myself putting up shots. That&rsquo;s all you could do.&rdquo;
The Raptors&rsquo; previous two games were postponed when they could not suit up the required eight players. Boucher, Watanabe, Svi Mykhailiuk and Dalano Banton were the only holdovers from their pre-outbreak squad.
Denzel Valentine had 17 points and nine rebounds, Dean Wade scored 17 points, and Ricky Rubio had 16 points and six assists for Cleveland. Love grabbed nine boards and Tacko Fall had three points and seven rebounds in 11 minutes off the bench.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve got a good thing going and I&rsquo;m having a lot of fun,&rdquo; Love said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s going to be great watching this young team develop. We know we&rsquo;re going to get everyone&rsquo;s best shot at us going forward, so I hope 2022 is a year of growth.&rdquo;
Rookie Evan Mobley and center Jarrett Allen were among seven Cavaliers sidelined because of the safety protocols. Cleveland has the fifth-best record in the Eastern Conference at 20-13.
&ldquo;The Raptors came out and played hard, but as the game went on, we were more physical and that obviously took a toll on them,&rdquo; Cavaliers coach J.B. Bickerstaff said.
TIP-INS
Raptors: G Gary Trent Jr., F Precious Achiuwa, F OG Anunoby, C Khem Birch, F Isaac Bonga, F Justin Champagnie and G Malachi Flynn also are in the health and safety protocols. &hellip; G Goran Dragic (personal reasons) and G David Johnson (left calf strain) were officially active, but unavailable. &hellip; F D.J. Wilson, F Juwan Morgan, C Daniel Oturu and G Tremont Waters are on 10-day contracts via roster exceptions.
Cavaliers: G Isaac Okoro missed his third straight game as he works on his conditioning after being cleared from the safety protocols. &hellip; F Cedi Osman was added to the protocols earlier in the day, joining C Ed Davis, G RJ Nembhard, G Lamar Stevens and F Dylan Windler. &hellip; Cleveland leads the East and ranks third in the NBA with 15 double-digit victories. The Cavaliers&rsquo; last 11 wins have been by at least 10 points.
CHRISTMAS GIFT
Bickerstaff, who was promoted to the job on Feb. 19, 2020, signed a multi-year contract extension on Saturday morning. The son of longtime NBA coach and current Cleveland senior advisor Bernie Bickerstaff took over a team in disarray following the resignation of John Beilein. &ldquo;If you look at our roster, we&rsquo;ve got guys locked in here for a long time,&rdquo; said Bickerstaff, who is 47-69 with the Cavaliers. &ldquo;Now, with this coaching staff, we&rsquo;re locked in for a long time, too.&rdquo;
UP NEXT
Raptors: Host Philadelphia on Tuesday night.
Cavaliers: Visit New Orleans on Tuesday night.

The Cavaliers tied their franchise record with 46 points in the third quarter of a 144-99 rout over the depleted Raptors.

Love, Garland score 22 as Cavs rout depleted Raptors 144-99

Alperen Sengun has always been an intriguing prospect to follow since he entered the NBA. Acquired by the Houston Rockets during the 2021 NBA Draft for two future first-round picks likely to convey in 2023 (via the Wizards) and 2025 (via the Pistons), Sengun instantly became an integral piece to the next chapter post-James Harden.
Exiting the Harden era, Houston is in the midst of a full-scale rebuild, building around young players such as No. 2 overall pick Jalen Green and Sengun. With Green sidelined due to injury, Sengun is beginning to take the spotlight and shine under the bright lights.
As a unique, throwback player, Sengun brings a crafty style to the basketball court based around footwork in the post, savvy playmaking and strong rebounding ability. Recently against the Milwaukee Bucks, Sengun's interior footwork was dazzling to watchm as he continously punished his matchup around the basket on countless possessions. Eventually, Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer had to adjust and put Giannis Antetokounmpo on Sengun. A small moment, but one that provides a glimpse into a potential future outcome for the Rockets' rookie.
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Expected to have an adjustment period to the NBA after winning the Turkish League MVP at age-18, not many expectations were laid upon Sengun in Year 1 &mdash; especially as a reserve big man. Recently though, he&rsquo;s flashing an extremely high ceiling that has many within the Rockets organization giddy for his next developmental steps.
Sengun&rsquo;s season averages don&rsquo;t scream "breakout campaign," but, when placed into a per-36 minute workload, it changes the equation: 17.9 points, 9.2 rebounds, 5.2 assists, 2.1 steals, 1.5 blocks while carrying a 57.9% True Shooting percentage.
Ready for a crazy statistic revolving around Sengun? Here are the only players joining the Turkish rookie amassing at least 9 rebounds, 5 assists and 1 block per 36 minutes: Giannis and Draymond Green.
If Sengun is allowed to further spread his wings later this season, there&rsquo;s a real trajectory path to him becoming a member of the First-Team All-Rookie lineup. Sure, there will be some ups-and-downs in terms of inconsistency along the way, but the bright spots make up for all of it.
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Sengun in 𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒂𝒄𝒌 𝒎𝒐𝒅𝒆 😤 <a href="https://t.co/jnFP7MpEPa">pic.twitter.com/jnFP7MpEPa</a>
&mdash; Houston Rockets (@HoustonRockets) <a href="https://twitter.com/HoustonRockets/status/1471279315463639048?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 16, 2021</a></blockquote>

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There is something in the way of Sengun receiving heavy minutes however &mdash; the two bigs currently ahead of him on the Rockets&rsquo; depth chart: Christian Wood and Daniel Theis, a pair of veterans who are heavily mentioned in trade talks around the Association. Our own Nekias Duncan recently wrote a piece regarding <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/examining-trade-destinations-for-christian-wood" target="_blank" rel="noopener">potential destinations for Wood</a>, who would be an instant-impact piece on a legitimate playoff contender. Theis is another piece who could help boost the depth of a contender as well, providing floor-spacing and defensive versatility.
Sengun&rsquo;s ceiling already looks similar to ones we&rsquo;ve seen enter the NBA before. Nikola Jokic, Domantas Sabonis and Nikola Vucevic all play a similar game as the young Sengun. If the Rockets properly construct a versatile roster around Sengun, he could help the organization reap significant benefits soon enough.
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Houston&rsquo;s goal is to construct a sustainable winner with multiple hits on draft picks. Green looks the part of a future 25-point-per-game scorer. Sengun could be the hub of an entire offensive system, a la Sabonis. Kevin Porter Jr. is an offensive spark plug himself. Jae&rsquo;Sean Tate, Josh Christopher and Usman Garuba all look like valuable depth pieces of the next great Rockets era as well. Houston still has considerable distance to being a real threat in the Western Conference playoff picture, but the foundation is coming along together at a quicker pace than expected.
If the Rockets are lucky again in the lottery, could you imagine Auburn&rsquo;s <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/2022-big-board/players/jabari-smith" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jabari Smith</a> alongside Sengun providing defense and transition scoring? What about Duke&rsquo;s Paolo Banchero as a frontcourt partner for Sengun? This was initially expected to be a rebuild that lasts awhile, but one or two moves could truly change the whole equation. Having a big man like Sengun as an anchor is a very promising start to it all, and one who can seemingly provide a little bit of everything on the basketball court for the Rockets.
The buzz around Sengun is palpable, and he&rsquo;s slowly but surely making his way up the top rookie ladder. By season&rsquo;s end, Sengun could be alongside Evan Mobley and Cade Cunningham for Rookie of the Year honors &mdash; particularly if he's given more of a runway, with Wood and Theis moved elsewhere.

Alperen Sengun is turning heads with his recent play for the Houston Rockets. Are we seeing the beginning of another star big man?

Alperen Sengun's surge providing hope for Rockets' rebuild

If you haven&rsquo;t heard by now, you will soon: the Cleveland Cavaliers are coming for you.
Seemingly in the blink of an eye, the wine-and-golders have gone from lovable underdogs to unforgiving bullies. Through 30 games, over one-third of the way into the 2021-22 campaign, the Cavs boast an 18-12 record &mdash; probably the most misleading in the NBA, an absolute undersell &mdash; with one of the top average margins of victory in the league.
Using cliches and &ldquo;broken-record coach speak&rdquo; as J.B. Bickerstaff lightheartedly says before answering our repetitive comments of praise, you can&rsquo;t single out anyone as the sole reason for such a dramatic turnaround. Everyone has collectively bought in &mdash; from the returning players who &ldquo;took a lot of ass whoopings&rdquo; to the new ones who came in looking to advance a process.
Pun definitely intended, these Cavs will let you know, and fast. Jumping out to double-digit leads quickly. Punching you square in the mouth to close first halves. Putting you on the wrong end of the highlight reel. Not only do they feel like they belong, they expect to win.&nbsp;
No matter who they&rsquo;re up against. No matter who&rsquo;s on the floor for them. No matter the situation.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s giving us confidence just knowing we can beat some of the best teams in this league. I think we&rsquo;re one of &lsquo;em, to be honest with you,&rdquo; Darius Garland said after a win over the Chicago Bulls last week. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve just got to bring that confidence, bring that intensity every game. Just stay with it, just keep being us. Bring the scrap every night, listen to the coaching staff and keep playing Cavaliers basketball.&rdquo;
There were times in the past few years when Cleveland looked like it began to put things together... in stretches. But an injury here, a setback there, an interruption, a roster change &mdash; it never sustained. At this point, we&rsquo;ve gotten a two-month sample size of this version of the team. It fights with the same vigor, the same self-belief and the same grit on a nightly basis.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s about those guys in the locker room,&rdquo; Bickerstaff said. &ldquo;From day one &mdash; go back to September, they showed up the day after Labor Day &mdash; they were in the gym and working, and were committed to one another. And then their personalities, they genuinely all get along, they genuinely all like each other. They fight for each other. They support each other.&nbsp;
&ldquo;I go home and I watch the games over, and I spend so much time just watching our bench. There&rsquo;s body after body after body that&rsquo;s up celebrating, cheering, [and] guys that don&rsquo;t even sit down during the game. That&rsquo;s what does it, and it&rsquo;s that chemistry the guys have formed. They love to compete. These games, even games we&rsquo;ve lost, they&rsquo;ve laid it out there. We&rsquo;ve had leads versus really good teams because of the spirit that those guys have played with... Guys being committed to what you're trying to do, and committed to one another is the most important thing that you can have. And I think that's where we've seen the biggest leap.&rdquo;
Combine that consistent effort with otherworldly versatility, skill and attitude, and you&rsquo;ve got the recipe for a unique, killer concoction.&nbsp;
As muttered recently on a radio hit in Cleveland, it&rsquo;s nearly impossible to cover everything top to bottom in regards to what&rsquo;s going right for this team. But we&rsquo;ll give it a try.
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Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley (and Lauri Markkanen)
Coming into the season, everybody wondered how the duo of Allen and Mobley would coexist on the floor. The thought of Markkanen sharing the floor with both never crossed anybody&rsquo;s mind. And yet, here we are, talking about Tall Ball as <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/in-the-nba-length-matters-unedited" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the league's newest craze</a> that&rsquo;s thrown nearly every opponent for a loop.
Bickerstaff decided at the beginning of the season that he had to find a way to put his best players on the floor all at once, and for his team, that was through size and skill. We&rsquo;re seeing Cleveland reap the benefits of that on a nightly basis. It all starts on the defensive end.&nbsp;
You&rsquo;re seeing Allen and Mobley deny those bold enough to enter their territory. Allen is the anchor in the middle, timing his head-on challenges to near perfection, while Mobley is the weak-side insurance policy waiting to reject all comers who&rsquo;d initially believed there was a path to an easy bucket. The rookie covers some insane ground, by the way, with his long strides allowing for quick recovery if he ever overcommits or has to be the last line of defense at a certain spot. He&rsquo;s also insanely intelligent, keeping the ball in play whenever he blocks shots (or just blatantly ripping it out of somebody&rsquo;s hands).
The funny part is that the teams strategizing to get Allen and Mobley on perimeter switches don&rsquo;t fully comprehend that those two are hoping for such a plan. They are not going to be left in the dust in space, and no matter which one is tasked with defending a quicker guard, the other will have his back down low. The rotations are just incredibly crisp. Of the duos in the NBA that have played at least 500 minutes, the Allen-Mobley pairing is allowing just 95.9 points per 100 possessions. That is the top Defensive Rating in the entire league, if you&rsquo;re keeping count.
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Also, their defensive prowess allows the Cavs&rsquo; perimeter defenders to put more pressure on the ball and gamble more due to the protection behind them. Which brings us to the third leg of the triumvirate&hellip;
Let&rsquo;s give credit to the unheralded contributions from Markkanen on this end of the floor too. Stride for stride, the Finnish 7-footer has been able to shuffle his feet laterally to contain his assignments rather successfully. He&rsquo;s not fouling, he&rsquo;s contesting the third-most shots on the team on average (8.3) and he&rsquo;s utilizing his length to make his man either give up the ball or force a shot attempt over a trio of towers. By no means is he the primary guy to highlight individually; however, considering past questions of how Markkanen would handle playing the 3 on the defensive side of the ball, the returns have been more than acceptable, particularly with how he&rsquo;s positioned himself. He&rsquo;s an integral part of this Cavs' frontcourt.
DG the PG
Where do you even start with Darius Garland?&nbsp;
Is it the way he picks his spots? How quickly he&rsquo;s processing his reads? His trickery with lobs? The fact that he's firing up shots without hesitation?
No matter which area of his game pops out to you, it&rsquo;s plain and obvious that Garland is making that all-too-familiar third-year jump from good to great. He&rsquo;s in complete control of the game with the ball in his hands, becoming the conductor of the (not-so) soothing Cavs symphony.&nbsp;
The 21-year-old is so agile and shifty that he has his defenders constantly asking for help, and what happens after that is up to him. He has shown a tendency to disguise the floater he used so often last year, which allows the aforementioned Allen and Mobley to capitalize with thunderous throwdowns. They are Garland&rsquo;s top two targets on the offensive end by and large, and Allen has a 62.8% field-goal percentage off those connections.
With his dribble penetration drawing more and more attention, opportunities are opening up for others. Garland puts a lot of heat on his pocket passes and quick shovel feeds, but his teammates are beginning to understand when and where to expect the ball, which has allowed for this Cleveland offense to thrive.&nbsp;
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Asked Steph Curry about Darius Garland, and he gave his props to the third-year <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cavs?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cavs</a> guard: "He's taking another step in that right direction." <a href="https://twitter.com/basketbllnews?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@basketbllnews</a> <a href="https://t.co/071djCaBWJ">pic.twitter.com/071djCaBWJ</a>
&mdash; Spencer Davies (@SpinDavies) <a href="https://twitter.com/SpinDavies/status/1461716450301947906?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 19, 2021</a></blockquote>

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He&rsquo;ll also get his own shot going when he sees an opportunity, and those attempts are coming at all three levels of the floor. Not many point guards around the league can match his production. According to Basketball-Reference, Garland&rsquo;s shooting percentages across the board are as follows: 63.2% from 0-to-3 feet, 46.3% from 3-to-10 feet, 49.2% from 10-to-16 feet, 52.6% from 16 feet to the three-point line and 38.9% from beyond the arc.
Garland has been able to play off the ball as well, with Ricky Rubio as a ball-handler. He&rsquo;s been able to catch the opposition sleeping on a number of cuts, and is making them pay as a catch-shooter on the outside to boot. He&rsquo;s got synergy with the bigs coming off dribble handoffs. It&rsquo;s just all clicking for him right now. (Spoiler Alert: Our own Nekias Duncan will have more on Garland in the future.)
Veterans Matter
Without Rubio, who knows if Garland reaches this level of success? The Spanish guard has been a mentor and a maestro in his own right for this young team. As adamantly stated by several Cavs, he is a starting point guard in the NBA, yet he is propelling a uniquely productive bench alongside Kevin Love.&nbsp;
Both are buying what Cleveland is selling, and have become a crucial part of not only the development of this inexperienced bunch, but also the contributions toward its winning ways. The inherent unselfishness has permeated throughout, which is allowing for the production we&rsquo;ve seen.
Rubio has been the Cavs&rsquo; iron man, having played all 30 games and making an impact in whatever way is working that night &mdash; turning the corner, shooting the basketball at a 34% perimeter clip, pushing the offense in transition. In addition to all of this, he recently surpassed the 5,000-assist mark, backing up the importance of moving the ball. It was the team's No. 1 goal coming into the campaign, and thanks to Rubio&rsquo;s IQ, there&rsquo;s been a domino effect.
Love has rediscovered the fun of &ldquo;the chase&rdquo; with Cleveland, and it&rsquo;s shown with his performances. As a super-sub this season playing a tad under 20 minutes per night, the former All-Star is averaging 12.0 points and 7.1 rebounds per contest, while nailing 41.2% of his triple tries. Albeit on a low amount of attempts, Love is leading the NBA at 96.4% from the free-throw line.
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"You don't get this often." No lip service when Kevin Love talks about *these* <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cavs?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cavs</a>. He's saying this team has something "bigger than ourselves" and "truly celebrate each other." <a href="https://twitter.com/basketbllnews?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@basketbllnews</a> <a href="https://t.co/MJIf43fdLW">pic.twitter.com/MJIf43fdLW</a>
&mdash; Spencer Davies (@SpinDavies) <a href="https://twitter.com/SpinDavies/status/1470597707341479941?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 14, 2021</a></blockquote>

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These two deserve a boatload of credit for the sacrifices they&rsquo;ve made knowing where they&rsquo;re at in their respective careers, and the fact that they&rsquo;ve embraced the roles fully demonstrates their professionalism.
Those are the vets who see consistent playing time. There&rsquo;s another who doesn&rsquo;t receive quite as much love because his impact is not as obvious, and that&rsquo;s Ed Davis. Bickerstaff went to bat for the seasoned big man to occupy Cleveland&rsquo;s final roster spot for locker-room and mentorship purposes, and thus far, it&rsquo;s been a home run. Davis knows why he&rsquo;s here, and he&rsquo;s more than willing to hold up his end of the bargain. And in cases where Allen and/or Mobley aren&rsquo;t available, he&rsquo;s able to slot in and do his job.&nbsp;
The &ldquo;others&rdquo; that really aren&rsquo;t the others
It&rsquo;s unfortunate that Isaac Okoro just got placed into the NBA&rsquo;s health-and-safety protocols, because he is the backbone of the Cavs&rsquo; perimeter defense. He&rsquo;s constantly taking on the opponents&rsquo; toughest offensive players, chasing guys all around the half-court to deny them the ball, defeating screens to stick on them when the ball is in their hands and forcing them into awkward positions.
Offensively, Okoro is beginning to find his footing from the corner. It&rsquo;s not just the three-point shot &mdash; where 61.6% of his perimeter tries have come from &mdash; it&rsquo;s the way he&rsquo;s making defenses pay when they close-out too hard. He&rsquo;s putting the ball on the floor, going into contact and, in some cases (as seen against Houston), bruising the rim. Okoro&rsquo;s got a hell of a layup package too, and in transition, he&rsquo;s a load to handle.
Cedi Osman&rsquo;s hot start to the season has tailed off a bit; however, with a defined role as a part of the second unit, you can see how relaxed he&rsquo;s playing. Defensively, he&rsquo;s been swiping away steal after steal, and in the open floor, he&rsquo;s been in attack mode. He&rsquo;s also hoisting threes on the move and standstill like we&rsquo;ve never witnessed before. There is no lack of confidence there.
Maybe the most underappreciated player the Cavs have is Dean Wade, who, whether in the starting lineup playing 30 minutes or with the reserves in garbage time, constantly brings the same effort on both ends no matter the circumstance. He&rsquo;s able to stretch the floor as a long-range sniper, and he is Bickerstaff&rsquo;s sneakiest contingency plan on the defensive end.&nbsp;
Speaking of which, Lamar Stevens is the man Cleveland goes to when it needs a shot in the arm. He&rsquo;s got a bulky frame and matches up well 1-through-4. There have been numerous occasions when the team has gone to him and found the energy it needed from only his presence on the floor. He won&rsquo;t take many shots, but he&rsquo;ll prevent quite a few.
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The core of what makes the Cavs such a dangerous team is their box-score balance. Every night, you&rsquo;ll see six or seven players in double figures, assist figures in the mid-to-high 20s and 30s and modest (or poor) opponent field-goal percentages.
In every sense of the word, Cleveland is playing team ball. The NBA challenged the organization with eight out of 11 on the road to begin the season &mdash; including a grueling West Coast trip &mdash; and the wine-and-gold passed that test with flying colors. (They&rsquo;re one of the best away teams in the league at 9-5.) Now, whenever the Cavs are playing a team that isn&rsquo;t a playoff contender, they&rsquo;re demoralizing them and steamrolling them. The tough love has paid off in a major way.
No, they&rsquo;re not a finished product. They're even missing their leading scorer from a season ago (here's to hoping for a speedy recovery for Collin Sexton). They&rsquo;re not close. There haven't been nearly enough 48-minute games, and the hunt for a &ldquo;signature win&rdquo; is still on.
With that said, the Cavs have consistently brought it every single night, and teams that haven&rsquo;t taken notice are in for a hard, painful lesson once that ball tips off.
The warning sign is right in front of them: Beware of <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&amp;rct=j&amp;q=&amp;esrc=s&amp;source=web&amp;cd=&amp;cad=rja&amp;uact=8&amp;ved=2ahUKEwiC_7ut0-v0AhWHkIkEHe4rAFUQFnoECAMQAQ&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cleveland.com%2Fcavs%2F2021%2F11%2Fcleveland-cavaliers-have-adopted-underdog-mentality-complete-with-new-barking-celebration.html&amp;usg=AOvVaw1bAEDy2vYzH4odGmLpFcU0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the Junkyard Dogs</a>.

Spencer Davies breaks down the Cavaliers' unexpected start to the season and why they're having so much success.

From lovable underdog to unforgiving bully: How the Cavs got here

The Houston Rockets are trending upward.
We're three weeks removed from <a href="https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2950751-sources-houston-rockets-weighing-future-of-head-coach-stephen-silas" target="_blank" rel="noopener">on-the-hot-seat reporting</a> from Bleacher Report's Jake Fischer concerning head coach Stephen Silas. The offense was bland and ineffective; the defense was spotty, to be kind. It wasn't all on Silas, as <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/whats-wrong-with-the-houston-rockets" target="_blank" rel="noopener">explained in this space</a>, but things certainly didn't look good.
Since that report, the Rockets have won eight of their last 11 games behind an elite offense (116.4 Offensive Rating, 3rd in the NBA). The defense still ain't great &mdash; it's actually gotten worse (115.7 Defensive Rating, 26th) during this stretch &mdash; but it hasn't bitten them yet.
Despite the recent success, the Rockets are aware of where they are: Stage 1 of the rebuild. As such, the phone lines are open for some of their veterans. Chief among them is Christian Wood, an All-Star caliber frontcourt talent.
On the surface, that's a surprise. When you think of Rocket vets that could swap teams, you'd likely land on 32-year-old Eric Gordon (absolutely balling as of late) or 29-year-old Daniel Theis. Not only is Wood better than both players, he's also much younger (26 years old).&nbsp;
But over the last week, <a href="https://sports.yahoo.com/rockets-willing-listen-offers-christian-094911591.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ESPN's Tim MacMahon</a> and Bleacher Report's Fischer have hinted at a willingness to at least hear offers for the big man. The price would likely be steep &mdash; Fischer ballparks it at "a first round pick plus further capital" <a href="https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2951461-latest-nba-trade-buzz-sourced-intel-on-simmons-kyrie-lakers-and-more" target="_blank" rel="noopener">in his latest report</a> &mdash; but that could be worth it for a team looking for help up front.
WHAT WOOD BRINGS&nbsp;
As our Jackson Frank wrote <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/christian-woods-offensive-versatility-will-benefit-houstons-core" target="_blank" rel="noopener">before the season</a>, there aren't many centers more gifted than Wood on the offensive end of the floor.
He's a dynamic partner in ball-screens, able to beat defenses as a roller or popper. He transitions smoothly from screener to roller or popper, allowing him to get a jump on the defense depending on what coverage they're in.
Wood has had to pop more this season due to the spacing around him, but he remains a paint threat due to his ability to pump-and-go. Leave him completely open and he'll fire above the break; close-out too hard, and he'll get downhill.
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Wood's ability to handle could be an added dimension for a team. He's not a Giannis-type threat to grab-and-go after misses, but he can push a break and allow offenses to attack earlier. His handle also allows him to initiate &mdash; or fake &mdash; handoffs against unbalanced defenses.
This is a down year for Wood as a finisher &mdash; spacing and playmaking issues have put a more difficult self-creation load on him &mdash; and he's still converting 73% of his shots inside of 3 feet, per Basketball-Reference. There's room to believe he could be even more effective with more room to operate, and/or more dynamic ball-handlers to work with.
LIMITATIONS
While Wood is able initiate some early offense in Delay sets, he doesn't have the passing chops to act as a true offensive hub. That's not inherently a bad thing; a team hoping to acquire him just has to understand he's a play-finisher that can sometimes get you into your offense, not Western Conference Domantas Sabonis.
Wood isn't the quickest processor when forced to make playmaking reads, and his actual pass accuracy leaves a bit to be desired. Combine those traits, and you get some rough turnovers when he's in creator mode.
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Defensively, Wood doesn't have the spatial feel to hold up as a primary rim-protector. His drop coverage film is littered with possessions of him conceding too much space to the ball-handler, or playing too high up (in a hunched over stance, no less) on the floor, allowing his assignment to get behind him for lobs.
Wood has shown some comfort switching out on the perimeter. He also possesses the mobility and hands necessary to play in more aggressive schemes. The swing skill for him would be his recovery; cutting off a ball-handler is one thing, but finding your assignment after the hedge is a separate task that he's had uneven results with.&nbsp;
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Even with some of his limitations, he's shown to be an active communicator. He's been a competent weak-side rim-protector. So long as you have good personnel around him, Wood can be a positive cog in a system.
LANDING SPOTS
If you're looking for a team with 1) a dynamic ball-handler, 2) plenty of spacers and 3) a strong defensive infrastructure, look no further than the Golden State Warriors.&nbsp;
Among the many weapons the Warriors have at their disposal, a vertical spacer is one they currently lack. It's safe to say Wood could slot right into that role. This may shock you, but Stephen Curry has had success with those type of partners.&nbsp;
Since the 2017-18 season, ball-screens spearheaded by Curry have generated roughly 1.08 points per possession &mdash; the best high volume mark in the NBA over that stretch, per Second Spectrum. When working with an athletic vertical threat &mdash; let's say JaVale McGee, Damian Jones, and Marquese Chriss &mdash; that number jumps to 1.12.
Last season's blockbuster trade cut the sample short, but it's worth noting just how successful the James Harden-Wood connection was last season (north of 1.13 PPP). It's fair to believe the Curry-Wood pairing would be a darn good one.
And if you need defensive covering for Wood, is there a better guy to pair him with than Draymond Green? Curry would be step up from what Wood has had to cover for at the point of attack this season; doubly so when Curry is replaced by Gary Payton II in the lineup.&nbsp;
The complicated matter would be the price. I would imagine the Rockets would want two of the Warriors' three young prospects &mdash; James Wiseman, Jonathan Kuminga, and Moses Moody &mdash; if possible.
The Athletic's Tim Kawakami recently laid out <a href="https://theathletic.com/3006586/2021/12/09/kawakami-why-the-warriors-absolutely-positively-are-not-trading-james-wiseman/?redirected=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a strong argument</a> regarding why the Warriors don't want to part with Wiseman right now. Beyond that, it would be shocking if the Rockets prioritized Wiseman considering they just drafted Alperen Sengun (please play him more!) and Usman Garuba over the summer.&nbsp;
Kuminga and Moody might be considered steep for the Warriors; only flipping one of those would make salary matching a bit of a chore. The Warriors do have all of their future firsts, sans a 2024 pick that will likely transfer to the Grizzlies.&nbsp;
For an off-the-radar team, how about the Minnesota Timberwolves?&nbsp;
Their defense has been surprisingly sturdy (6th in half-court defense, 12th in overall DRTG) thanks to an aggressive scheme. The offense has lagged behind (26th in half-court offense, 24th overall ORTG) behind spotty shooting and a quietly-subpar conversion rate at the rim.
The (admittedly reductive) question I have: What do the Wolves look like with Wood instead of Jarred Vanderbilt in the lineup?
Wood is not the overall defender that Vanderbilt is, but how much of the backline workload could he replicate?&nbsp;More importantly, is the gap between the two as defenders greater than the gap in scoring chops?
I would answer "maybe 75-80% of it" and "absolutely not" to those questions.
To the defense point, the Wolves often play at, or above, the level of the screen when defending pick-and-rolls. That puts strain on the backline to clean up messes behind it. Like this, basically:
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One blocked shot doesn't mean he can be peak Paul Millsap in this role, but again, Wood does possess legit weak-side rim-protection chops. If he can nail those rotations, the Wolves shouldn't see a major slide defensively. It also helps that Wood is one of the best defensive rebounders in the sport. The Wolves have, uh, struggled (30th in defensive-rebound rate) in that regard.
The offensive upgrade is an easier case to make. Wood has shot 36.9% from three dating back to his Detroit season (2019-20), and has converted 40% of his corner threes in that time frame. He's both a better shooter, and more of a threat to beat a (soft) closeout than Vanderbilt is.
With Karl-Anthony Towns often setting up shop above the break or from the mid-post, Wood seems more equipped to convert catch-and-shoot looks, or to take advantage of the space Towns provides with drives, and cuts, or to work as the screener in pick-and-rolls.
About those pick-and-rolls: I'm be interested in seeing what he could do when screening for D'Angelo Russell or Anthony Edwards.
Like the Warriors example, the price is worth the pause. The Wolves have all of their firsts moving forward. They also have Jaden McDaniels, an intriguing, rangy forward worth investing in.
The salary filler is where things could sputter. Taurean Prince probably isn't enough short-term help; Malik Beasley would further crowd the guard room, and I'm not sure how willing the Wolves would be to part with him. There's an intriguing package to be made, though.&nbsp;
I'd like to live in a world where Luka Doncic has a legitimate roll man (and thus, a complement to Kristaps Porzingis up front), but I'm not sure the Mavericks have the horses to get a deal done. What exactly is Tim Hardaway Jr. doing for this version of the Rockets?
The Hornets haven't just been linked to Wood in the past; they literally had him on their roster a few years ago, though this was obviously before he broke out. They could use some frontcourt juice, and have enough wing talent (hello, Kelly Oubre Jr.) to potentially intrigue the Rockets.
We'll keep an eye on the talented Houston big man moving forward, because there are bound to be plenty of suitors.

Nekias Duncan breaks down potential trade destinations for Rockets big man Christian Wood.

Examining potential trade destinations for Christian Wood

The Athletic&rsquo;s Shams Charania officially tossed out a stick of dynamite on Tuesday, and the fuse was lit from Indiana. Trade season has officially begun, and <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/pacers-moving-to-substantial-rebuild-listening-to-trade-calls-on-stars" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the Pacers are open to a fire sale</a> to begin an &ldquo;extensive rebuild.&rdquo; A long overdue strategy in Indiana, it&rsquo;s the right move for a team that has shown a low ceiling and potential roster regression.
With a 10-16 record, Indiana is open to all of its key pieces being shipped out, per Charania, including Caris LeVert, Myles Turner and Domantas Sabonis. Here on BasketballNews.com, we will be providing the best potential landing spots for all three. Nekias Duncan will be handling the two-time All-Star center in Sabonis, while I&rsquo;ll be scouring through the best situations for LeVert and Turner.
We&rsquo;re going to kick things off with LeVert. As I wrote last month, No. 13 overall pick Chris Duarte&rsquo;s quick emergence as a key long-term piece <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/pacers-facing-a-key-decision-point-later-on-with-chris-duarte-early-emergence" target="_blank" rel="noopener">changed the calculus on the future of the team's backcourt</a>. With Malcolm Brogdon signing an extension and not being eligible for a trade until this offseason, that leaves LeVert as the odd man out. He also plays the same position as Duarte, making his exit even more likely before February&rsquo;s deadline.
When the Pacers acquired LeVert almost exactly one year ago in the blockbuster four-team James Harden trade (which also sent Victor Oladipo to Houston), Indiana believed it might have struck discount gold once again. However, LeVert&rsquo;s on-court value is nowhere close to what it once was. LeVert has shown to be a solid combo guard, but his overall ineffectiveness in reading the floor and his poor shot selection make paying him a hefty contract a very worrisome proposition.
So, which teams actually make sense for the 27-year-old scorer? Let&rsquo;s dive into the best win-win scenarios for the Pacers and LeVert.
Cleveland Cavaliers
Although the Cavs are in the same division as Indiana, they immediately popped up as my best-case scenario in a potential LeVert deal. Not only would LeVert be able to slide in at shooting guard in the short-term replacing Collin Sexton &mdash; who is sidelined with a torn meniscus &mdash; but he also fits Cleveland&rsquo;s long-term puzzle alongside Darius Garland, No. 3 overall pick Evan Mobley and potential All-Star center Jarrett Allen. LeVert is an ideal score-first complement to the gigantic frontcourt duo that is wreaking havoc to opposing offenses around the rim.
From the Pacers&rsquo; point of view, the Cavaliers have a former top-five pick in Isaac Okoro who seems like an ideal roll of the dice and trade sweetener. Okoro is a strong, defense-first wing, but his offense still isn&rsquo;t developing at the rate Cleveland had hoped. Okoro&rsquo;s fit with the Cavaliers core right now is clunky, so swapping him out for LeVert is a major win for 2021-22 and beyond.
Cleveland throwing out an offer to Indiana revolving around Okoro, Cedi Osman and a lottery-protected 2022 first-round pick has to at least lead into serious discussions. Osman is salary-filler with a contract only guaranteed through the 2022-23 season, but he&rsquo;s a solid shooter who can provide wing minutes off the bench.
It&rsquo;s hard to peg LeVert&rsquo;s overall value, but a former top-five pick and a first-round pick make up a solid baseline and, honestly, this feels like the most realistic scenario as well. Cleveland is surprisingly in win-now mode, and LeVert adds a much-needed jolt offensively.
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Memphis Grizzlies
On the surface, you may be wondering why the Grizzlies are included here. They have Ja Morant and Dillon Brooks, plus some enticing young prospects developing in their system. However, Memphis continues to remain afloat in the Western Conference play-in race early on without Morant, who is sidelined with a knee injury. Adding LeVert into the Grizzlies&rsquo; rotation would soften the blow of not having Morant at the moment, but he also fits very well alongside their young superstar point guard.
LeVert would slide right in as Memphis&rsquo; sixth man who can score for himself or create for others in a pinch. I&rsquo;m very intrigued by the idea of LeVert playing heavy minutes in combination with the likes of Morant, Brooks and Desmond Bane. This would be a move to raise the immediate and long-term ceiling for the Grizzlies, who could also deal Brooks this offseason if LeVert thrives in their system (which is something I actually <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/why-its-wise-for-the-grizzlies-to-canvass-the-trade-market-on-dillon-brooks" target="_blank" rel="noopener">suggested Memphis look into</a> before the season started).
The Grizzlies&rsquo; rotation once Morant returns would look like this:
Starters: Morant, Bane, Brooks, Jaren Jackson Jr., Steven Adams
Second Unit: De&rsquo;Anthony Melton, LeVert, Brandon Clarke, Xavier Tillman
That&rsquo;s a strong nine-man rotation that could go up against a lot of teams in the reloaded West.
As you can tell above, two names in the Grizzlies&rsquo; current rotation are missing: Kyle Anderson and No. 10 overall pick Ziaire Williams. That would be the return for Indiana, potentially with a lottery-protected first-round pick as well.
Again, it's a solid baseline offer for LeVert and the move could help both teams. Memphis acquires a win-now piece who can also help them long-term, plus Indiana receives a young prospect alongside another future draft pick. Win-win.
Dallas Mavericks
This one was tough, but LeVert's fit in Dallas is very intriguing. Could you imagine Luka Doncic playing alongside LeVert in the Mavericks&rsquo; backcourt? That would be so much fun, because LeVert is an ideal complementary piece who can take pressure off Doncic in key situations.
With the Mavericks&rsquo; roster, though, there are not many assets that would intrigue Indiana. So, unless Dallas was open to this idea, a swap of LeVert for Jalen Brunson at least makes a little bit of sense.
Brunson&rsquo;s strong start to the 2021-22 season is bringing his value to an all-time high as we inch closer toward restricted free agency. Would Dallas want to ship Brunson for a potentially cheaper option who could play more minutes alongside Doncic? Brunson would be an excellent fit in Indiana as well, forming a strong one-two punch with Duarte long-term.
Would Dallas even be open to the idea of something like Dwight Powell and Brunson for LeVert? It&rsquo;s a tough sell, but one that could be a potential win-win down the road for both sides.
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Utah Jazz
Talk about a potential shift atop the West if Utah were to snag LeVert between now and February. LeVert, I feel, would be a strong fit within head coach Quin Snyder&rsquo;s system. He'd take pressure off of LeVert and have him focus on the finer details. LeVert&rsquo;s scoring package would be another win-now, all-in push from Utah, who is trying to capitalize on its Finals window being open.
From Indiana&rsquo;s perspective, there&rsquo;s not a lot that Utah could offer that would intrigue them. However, an expiring contract in Joe Ingles (who could be bought out after a trade) alongside second-round pick Jared Butler, Eric Paschall and a lightly-protected 2023 first-round pick could at least make for some interesting discussions.
Ingles has been an integral piece to the Jazz&rsquo;s success for years, but upgrading to LeVert would be a major win for their title hopes. Utah would have copious amounts of scoring off its bench &mdash; LeVert, Jordan Clarkson and Rudy Gay. The Jazz could also trot out LeVert as their starting small forward, inserting him between Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert. Either way, it would be a massive opportunity to bring LeVert aboard.
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New Orleans Pelicans
The Pelicans are teetering on desperation mode. The hot seat has been cranked up on executive vice presiident David Griffin, and Zion Williamson&rsquo;s injury issues continue to short-circuit their hopeful rise up the West standings. Whether it be Turner or LeVert, expect the Pelicans to be calling Indiana sometime soon if they haven&rsquo;t already.
Bringing LeVert to the Bayou would lead to an experimental fit alongside Williamson and Brandon Ingram. LeVert would slide right in at shooting guard for the Pelicans, or he could lead their second unit as a dynamic sixth man.
As a potential trade package, what about sending Indiana the following: Josh Hart, Trey Murphy III and a future first-round pick, if necessary? The Pacers would then have two young wings on their roster who could help build out a new vision under head coach Rick Carlisle.
It&rsquo;s another interesting trade destination for LeVert, and one that actually makes sense for both sides when examined under the microscope.
***
Overall, LeVert&rsquo;s market is so hard to project. As a score-first combo guard on an attainable contract for the next two seasons, his market could be robust. However, there&rsquo;s another scenario where his injury history and inefficiency could seriously limit the market for him.
Indiana is <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/pacers-must-accept-new-reality-and-become-sellers-at-trade-deadline" target="_blank" rel="noopener">finally blowing it up</a>, and LeVert seems to be an obvious candidate to be moved very soon. Stay tuned to BasketballNews.com as we continue to track the situation, plus reveal more trade destinations for the team's other notable pieces in Sabonis and Turner.

Which teams around the NBA could soon be calling about Pacers shooting guard Caris LeVert? Evan Sidery lists five.

Examining potential trade destinations for Caris LeVert

CLEVELAND (AP) &mdash; Once the shot left Darius Garland&rsquo;s hands, the Utah Jazz couldn&rsquo;t do anything but hope it didn&rsquo;t drop.
Sometimes, defense comes down to a simple wish.
Garland missed a potential game-winner with 2.9 seconds left as the Jazz, who got 35 points from Donovan Mitchell, survived Cleveland&rsquo;s late surge for their fourth straight win, 109-108 over the Cavaliers on Sunday.
Rudy Gobert had 20 rebounds and five blocks, Bojan Bogdanovic added 16 points and Rudy Gay had 15 for Utah, which made 20 3-pointers and gave away a 15-point lead in the fourth.
The Cavs had a chance to win, and coach J.B. Bickerstaff put the ball in Garland&rsquo;s hands. But his 28-footer was long, and Jarrett Allen couldn&rsquo;t get his tip to drop as Cleveland had its winning streak stopped at four.
&ldquo;That last possession, I knew it was going to go to him because I&rsquo;ve known J.B. as a head coach for quite a while,&rdquo; Jazz guard Mike Conley said. &ldquo;I just tried to stay up as high as I could and make sure it was contested. I told him (Garland), it was like playing against myself.&rdquo;
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Bickerstaff didn&rsquo;t second-guess his decision.
&ldquo;If I could do it over again, I would do the same thing and let him make a play,&rdquo; he said.
Garland scored 31 points, Allen added 17 points and 11 rebounds and rookie Evan Mobley had 14 points and 12 rebounds for the Cavs, who were back at home after beating Dallas, Miami and Washington. It was the first time since 1975 that the Cavs won three straight on the road over teams with winning records.
&ldquo;That&rsquo;s a really good team and they made some shots,&rdquo; Jazz coach Quin Snyder said as his squad opened a four-game trip. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a really good win for us &mdash; starting the trip with an early game in the East is not easy.&rdquo;
Utah opened its 15-point lead in the early moments of the fourth on Conley&rsquo;s 3-pointer and seemed poised to put the Cavs away.
However, as has been the case all season, Cleveland fought back.
The Cavs reeled off 15 straight points to tie it 97-all on Ricky Rubio&rsquo;s scoop shot with 8:43 left. Cedi Osman contributed to the flurry with a dunk, 3-pointer and steal.
&ldquo;We never gave up,&rdquo; said Rubio, who finished with 15 points. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve been in every single game this season.&rdquo;
Mitchell had a chance to put the Jazz ahead by three, but Mobley came across the lane and blocked his layup with 22 seconds to go. The Cavs corralled the ball and called time to set up a final shot.
Garland initially drove the lane, but got turned away. He wound up with the ball at the top of the key and launched his deep 3 that was long, and the Jazz survived Allen&rsquo;s follow attempt.
&ldquo;I work on that shot every day,&rdquo; said Garland, who has scored 30 points in consecutive games for the first time. &ldquo;It felt good. I was open.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Jazz: C Hassan Whiteside (left glute bruise) missed his first game. ... Snyder said it doesn&rsquo;t take long watching film for Mobley to stand out. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s going to be a star in this league, really soon,&rdquo; Snyder said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s a rare combination of size, length, quickness and skill.&rdquo; ... Gay, who underwent right heel surgery in the offseason, isn&rsquo;t technically on a minutes restriction. Gay is averaging 18.7 minutes coming off the bench. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s the challenge of getting back into game shape,&rdquo; Snyder said. &ldquo;Fatigue can be an issue, especially the way we want to play.&rdquo; ... Gay topped 17,000 career points.
Cavaliers: Didn&rsquo;t get called for a foul in the first 17 minutes and finished with just eight, tying the league low this season. ... F Kevin Love entered the day leading the NBA with a .949 free throw percentage (37 of 39). The five-time All-Star is an 83% career shooter from the line, finishing above 90% just once. ... Garland and Atlanta&rsquo;s Trae Young are the only players averaging at least 19 points, seven assists and shooting over 45%.
BIG BOYS
Gobert&rsquo;s size troubles most teams, but not the Cavs.
J.B. Bickerstaff countered the 7-foot-1, shot-swatting center by starting 6-foot-11 Allen along with 7-footers Mobley and Lauri Markkanenen, a &ldquo;tall ball&rdquo; lineup that has been a revelation for the Cavs.
&ldquo;There were some moments when we were discombobulated because there was a lot going on in that game with Allen, Mobley and Markkanen,&rdquo; Snyder said.
GOOD COMPANY
Garland added five assists, four rebounds and four steals. He&rsquo;s the first Cleveland player to score 30 points while reaching those other marks since LeBron James in 2018.
&ldquo;Garland is going to be a hell of a player,&rdquo; Mitchell said. &ldquo;I was trash talking him all day, but l will say I respect his game.&rdquo;
UP NEXT
Jazz: Continue a four-game trip Wednesday at Minnesota.
Cavaliers: Visit the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks on Monday.
___
More AP NBA:&nbsp;<a class="" href="https://apnews.com/tag/NBA">https://apnews.com/tag/NBA</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a class="" href="https://twitter.com/AP_Sports" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://twitter.com/AP_Sports</a>

Darius Garland led Cleveland with 31 points, but it wasn't enough against Utah.

Donovan Mitchell scores 35, Jazz hold off Cavaliers 109-108

We&rsquo;re still two months away from the NBA trade deadline in February, but expect rumors to pick up once the moratorium on recently signed players lifts on Dec. 15. Once that occur, it&rsquo;s open season on anything and everything, wherever the trade winds blow in the league.
In the meantime, which teams seem poised to buy or sell? Are there any players who could be better off elsewhere? Here are five trade ideas that have already piqued my interest. Think of it as a hypothetical early Christmas gift for these teams mentioned. Without further ado, let&rsquo;s dive into the scenarios below.
Christian Wood &mdash; Golden State Warriors
According to The Ringer&rsquo;s Kevin O&rsquo;Connor, the Houston Rockets will be <a href="https://www.theringer.com/nba/2021/11/29/22807223/seven-observations-stephen-curry-kristap-porzingis-julius-randle" target="_blank" rel="noopener">willing to listen to trade offers on Christian Wood</a> leading up to February&rsquo;s deadline. O&rsquo;Connor also notes that the market is expected to be robust for the versatile 26-year-old big man.
So far this season in Houston, Wood is averaging 16.2 points, 11.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.0 blocks per game. With Houston in a full-fledged rebuild centered around No. 2 overall pick, Wood simply doesn&rsquo;t fit the team's timeline. Whatever the Rockets would be able to gather for Wood would be a win at this point, and he could swing the fortunes of a championship contender.
Although the Warriors likely won&rsquo;t mess with their team chemistry, why not kick the tires on Wood? Not only would he fit the short-term goal of chasing another Larry O&rsquo;Brien trophy, but he&rsquo;s young enough where you can continue building around him. Wood in Kevon Looney&rsquo;s starting spot alongside Stephen Curry would be completely unfair. Wood would feast with the gobs of spacing available to him, plus he could take pressure off others in the Warriors&rsquo; system.
The question is: What&rsquo;s a win-win hypothetical trade that makes sense for both Houston and Golden State revolving around Wood? Although Houston just selected two bigs in the 2021 NBA Draft &mdash; Alperen Sengun and Usman Garuba &mdash; why not have as many bites of the apple for elite talent as possible? 2020 No. 2 overall pick James Wiseman plus Looney&rsquo;s salary to match contract value actually makes a lot of sense here. Wiseman would be able to play an extensive role alongside Jalen Green and Kevin Porter Jr., plus the rotation at center would sort itself out eventually.
Maybe Golden State tosses in a protected future first-round pick to sweeten the offer further, but I love this for both sides. Wood raises the already immense ceiling for Golden State, while Wiseman could be another lottery ticket to develop for Houston&rsquo;s new era.
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Myles Turner &mdash; Charlotte Hornets
Indiana needs to come to the realization of where its roster stands. It&rsquo;s time to sell to the highest bidder with some of their core players. One of those who could attract a serious slew of offers is Turner, who has proven himself to be a valuable defensive anchor and floor-spacer.
Charlotte is exceeding expectations this season thanks to LaMelo Ball&rsquo;s superstar rise, plus Miles Bridges becoming the No. 2 option. Imagine how much better the Hornets would be if they acquired Turner to stabilize their inconsistent defense. Mason Plumlee isn&rsquo;t going to cut it. Throwing Turner into the mix in Charlotte would be a perfect scenario for both the team and the player. Turner would thrive alongside LaMelo in an up-tempo offense and take away a lot of easy looks that have caused serious problems this season for Charlotte.
Would Indiana be enticed by Kelly Oubre Jr. and PJ Washington as a trade package? Maybe swap out Washington for James Bouknight, who hasn&rsquo;t been able to crack the rotation due to Terry Rozier?
Either way, this type of return feels reasonable for Turner. If Indiana decides to finally pull the trigger and embrace a roster overhaul, Charlotte should be blowing them up to acquire an elite rim protector.
Domantas Sabonis &mdash; Portland Trail Blazers
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If the Pacers decide to go in the aforementioned direction with their team and ship off Sabonis to the highest bidder in February, we already have a realistic baseline in place for a package thanks to Nikola Vucevic last season. Orlando traded Vucevic, a similar player archetype as Sabonis, to Chicago for Wendell Carter Jr. and two future first-round picks. With Sabonis being five years younger and a better overall player, that&rsquo;s the floor for what should come back in any deal for Indiana's two-time All-Star center.
Portland is already dealing with roster imbalance on top of organizational issues, which now has led to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/trail-blazers-fire-neil-olshey-following-independent-review" target="_blank" rel="noopener">general manager Neil Olshey&rsquo;s firing</a>. As a last-ditch effort to appease Damian Lillard, how about pushing the chips in for Sabonis? It would be awesome to see another Sabonis suit up for the Blazers, and him being a secondary hub to the offense alongside Lillard and CJ McCollum would create an explosive offense. Lillard finally seeing the Blazers making an aggressive move could delay/off his eventual trade request at some point as well.
With Sabonis only being 25 years old and having three years remaining on his bargain of a contract, the price would be steep. Would Portland be willing to trade Anfernee Simons and Nassir Little for Sabonis?
Pascal Siakam &mdash; Sacramento Kings
The quick emergence of No. 4 overall pick Scottie Barnes is leading to the inevitable conversations revolving around Siakam&rsquo;s long-term future in Toronto. With OG Anunoby and Barnes, is Siakam (and his hefty contract) a necessity to stay around? Personally, I don&rsquo;t think so. If the Raptors are able to find a big-time offer to offload Siakam, it makes a ton of sense to explore that possibility.
Who around the league would be interested in Siakam, though? There would be a bidding war ensuing for a near-star who can lift the ceiling of a team on both ends of the court. One team that actually makes a lot of sense for Siakam, potentially out of sheer desperation, would be Sacramento.
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After firing head coach Luke Walton, there are really no more excuses for the Kings to not figure it out sometime soon. It might simply just be time to reshuffle the roster a little bit to see what happens. Adding Siakam would be a brilliant move to help out De&rsquo;Aaron Fox. Imagine how much fun this would be in Sacramento: Fox, Tyrese Haliburton, Harrison Barnes, Siakam, Richaun Holmes. That right there is starting lineup that can push the pace and score efficiently while also holding up on the defensive end.
With Toronto on the outside looking in for the playoff picture, acquiring Buddy Hield, Marvin Bagley III and two future first-round picks may not be enough to say goodbye to Siakam. Maybe I&rsquo;m underselling Siakam&rsquo;s value here, but I absolutely love the on-court fit for him with the Kings, so let&rsquo;s roll with it.
Ben Simmons for CJ McCollum blockbuster
Nothing has changed when it comes to Ben Simmons and the Philadelphia 76ers&rsquo; standoff. If anything, Simmons&rsquo; trade value is plummeting. At some point, will Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey lower his asking price and circle back around to discussions with Portland around a Simmons for McCollum swap? Ever since Simmons passed up a wide-open dunk in a pivotal moment in the Eastern Conference Finals, this trade has felt inevitable.
Simmons would be Lillard&rsquo;s own version of Draymond Green, helping stabilize the Blazers&rsquo; defense while also being a potent forward driving to the rim. Meanwhile, McCollum would help the Sixers&rsquo; short-term hopes of forming a title contender. Philadelphia certainly loses juice on defense swapping out Simmons for McCollum, but he&rsquo;s an experienced All-Star-level player who can score 20 points per game with ease. Imagining McCollum and Tyrese Maxey is a fun exercise for a potential Sixers backcourt combination post-Simmons.
What even is the value for Simmons right now around the Association? It&rsquo;s tough to gauge, but this trade construction still feels like the easiest to navigate. As I wrote once news broke a few months ago about Simmons wanting out of Philadelphia, it could lead to <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/ben-simmons-sixers-destined-for-a-rare-winwin-breakup" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a true win-win for both parties in the end</a>.

With certain free-agent trade restrictions lifting on Dec. 15, it's time to start hypothesizing which teams could be buyers or sellers.

5 potential moves that make sense leading up to NBA trade deadline

This afternoon, the Cleveland Cavaliers announced an MRI showed that Collin Sexton suffered a meniscus tear in his left knee, meaning the fourth-year guard will be sidelined for an undetermined amount of time. The team said in a press release that Sexton &ldquo;will undergo additional evaluation after which time his status will be updated.&rdquo;
With the Cavs ripping through their difficult schedule at 7-4, the news is an unfortunate cloud over the good vibes that have guided the wine and gold to an incredible start. Prior to the contest in New York, Sexton had been averaging 16.0 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game.&nbsp;
"He&rsquo;s going through a lot right now hearing that, for anybody, especially Collin. We know how much he loves this game, how much he puts a lot of energy and his life into it. So just seeing him, it&rsquo;s just devastating for me," Cavs big man Jarrett Allen said. "As a friend, as a teammate, just seeing him go down... I know he wants to be out there with us. We&rsquo;re losing a lot losing him &mdash; as a person, as a competitor. He&rsquo;s always out here giving it his all, and that forces us to give it our all. We want to match his energy. So he&rsquo;s definitely gonna be missed.&rdquo;
&ldquo;We just want to make sure that he knows that we&rsquo;re there for him, and we&rsquo;ll do whatever we can to help him through the process. At the end of the day, it&rsquo;s bigger than basketball," Cleveland head coach J.B. Bickerstaff added. "There&rsquo;s the human spirit and emotions involved, so we just want to make sure that he knows anything he needs, we&rsquo;ve got his back and we&rsquo;re here to support him.&rdquo;
Although his shooting percentages across the board are down, his .300 three-point rate is the highest it&rsquo;s been since coming into the league, and his game has become more efficient. He&rsquo;s also had to make a major adjustment to the Cavs&rsquo; change in offensive strategy, spreading the ball around with fewer dribbles and more all-around involvement. Many detractors point to his nature of dominating the ball, however, Sexton has been tremendous off the ball as a cutter getting easy looks at the rim, and currently has the third-highest amount of potential assists on the team with 65. Defensively, the will to defend has been there as well. Of course, we all know how ridiculous his burst is in transition too.&nbsp;
"It&rsquo;s huge. Obviously, the threat that he is. Games come down to getting a bucket, and a lot of teams switch and you&rsquo;ve got to be able to beat your man," Bickerstaff said. "Collin is one of our guys who can beat his man and force teams to make different decisions on how they want to play their coverages and things like that. So the competitive nature that he plays with and how hard he competes, all of those things. We&rsquo;re gonna miss him for sure.&rdquo;
The truth is that Cleveland won&rsquo;t easily fill the role of somebody who can drop 30 points in any game, and they certainly can't do it with one player.
"I think everybody&rsquo;s just gotta tick-up a couple notches. We&rsquo;re not gonna expect one person to get Collin&rsquo;s 16 [points] a night," Bickerstaff said. "So those guys that are stepping in and their minutes are gonna increase, they&rsquo;ve got to find ways to help &mdash; whether they create shots for other people, whether it&rsquo;s the shots for them, the defensive floor they take the challenges. It&rsquo;s gonna be everybody that&rsquo;s gotta contribute a little bit more. The guys who are taking those minutes and then the guys who are playing [already] as well. They&rsquo;re gonna have to find a way to help us more as well.&rdquo;
It&rsquo;s also an awful break for Sexton, who entered the season in a contract year after the Cavs front office and his representation didn&rsquo;t come to terms on a rookie-max extension agreement. And even with that not going his way, he&rsquo;s been bought-in from the start of training camp around the team&rsquo;s massive change in playstyle.
So what&rsquo;s next for Bickerstaff and company? Well, luckily the team has been on a roll with just about everybody contributing. Standout rookie Evan Mobley is showing us something new every night, and Allen just won the NBA Eastern Conference Player of the Week award for the first time in franchise history since LeBron James in the 2018 season. Those guys feast in the paint on both ends, particularly as stifling defenders and versatile weapons offensively.
The Cavs are still waiting for Isaac Okoro to come back from a hamstring injury that&rsquo;s been ailing him. This could be an opportunity for last year&rsquo;s first-round pick to flourish as a 2-guard, depending on how the coaching staff wants to utilize him. Remember, he was <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/isaac-okoro-sharpening-shot-pivoting-to-playmaking-for-cavs-in-vegas" target="_blank" rel="noopener">showcasing an ability to play-make in Las Vegas</a> at summer league. It also helps that Cleveland believes shooting guard is the best position suited for Okoro.
Ricky Rubio is the obvious candidate to see a bump in minutes. After a ridiculous career night at Madison Square Garden, we&rsquo;re set to see more lineups featuring him and Darius Garland together. Those two have thrived as a combination this season with a plus-15.8 net rating, constantly moving the ball and finding the bigs. In addition, a bigger leap will have to come from Garland, who has already displayed a willingness to take on more of a scoring load in addition to his ability to set guys up. Bickerstaff said Tuesday that Garland's usage rate will increase with more opportunities to facilitate and take more shots, so expect more pull-up threes from the third-year maestro.
Dylan Windler has shown his ability to stretch the floor and run around like a madman, keeping defenses honest with his outside shooting and overall activity on either end. Bickerstaff senses with the recent reps he's gotten that Windler is getting more comfortable. Cedi Osman will likely continue to see more time as well, as he&rsquo;s enjoyed a career season shooting the basketball and thrived in his role. The Turkish swingman is not only knocking down a career-best 45.3% of his triples, but also hustling as a defender &mdash; particularly getting back to defend fastbreaks.
Remember too that, despite being frontcourt players, Lauri Markkanen and Kevin Love have been sidelined in the league&rsquo;s health and safety protocols. When those two return, Cleveland will have options and keep sending out those big-man lineups. There are weapons all around for this group to use, and every night it can be somebody different to step up to the challenge.
Losing Sexton hurts the Cavs and the man himself in more ways than one. With that said, considering the way Cleveland is playing right now, it doesn&rsquo;t feel like the drop-off will be as severe as it may have been in the past.&nbsp;
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s just gonna come down to us sharing the ball, playing more together as a team," Allen said. "Not saying we didn&rsquo;t before that, but now that certain level of scoring and a certain level of our reliance on him to close-out games like that, we&rsquo;re gonna have to come together more as a team and step up."

The Cavs have lost Collin Sexton to a meniscus tear in his left knee. Spencer Davies looks at who will have to fill the void.

With Collin Sexton sidelined, who's next man up for Cavs?

As the rest of the NBA continues trying to zig into the small-ball revolution put into place five years ago by the Golden State Warriors, another organization is zagging in an entirely different direction. So far, the results look spectacular for long-term success.
The Cleveland Cavaliers have built a solid foundation of key players within their young core &mdash; Evan Mobley, Darius Garland, Jarrett Allen, Collin Sexton, Isaac Okoro and Lauri Markkanen &mdash; but we will focus solely on a unique big-man duo who could finally help them escape the fruitful LeBron James years that have long passed.
Mobley, the No. 3 overall pick from the 2021 NBA Draft, looks the part of a future superstar in the making following a similar path as Anthony Davis and Kevin Garnett did before. An uber-athletic multi-positional player with exceptional instincts, Mobley&rsquo;s transition as a rookie has been relatively easy. Averaging 13.6 points, 7.9 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.4 blocks and 1.3 steals per game while carrying a 55.1% True Shooting percentage, Mobley is showcasing why he was tabbed in the draft as one of the most seamless fits at the NBA level, with an extremely high baseline for a floor outcome. As Mobley continues to grow into his body, Cleveland&rsquo;s ceiling will continue to rise. And the Cavaliers have actually looked very competitive early on, which forecasts them potentially being a team who eclipses their preseason over/under win-total projection.
Alongside Mobley in the frontcourt is Allen, a light-hearted 6-foot-11 center with a throwback afro. Allen was stolen away by the Cavaliers when they were involved in the James Harden mega-deal last season. Ever since, Allen has thrived for Cleveland, earning himself a long-term extension that will pay him $20 million annually over the next four years. With the way Allen continues to grow on both ends of the court, his contract will soon fall into the category of &ldquo;steal&rdquo; around the Association in no time.
When Cleveland drafted another big man to go next to Allen, the long-term vision was to suffocate opposing offenses with immense length and versatility. Mobley and Allen are really the first duo of the like to produce positive results. Another example in Indiana revolving around Domantas Sabonis and Myles Turner still has looming questions four years later, leaning so close to an eventual move shipping out the latter at February&rsquo;s trade deadline.
Unlike the Sabonis and Turner pairing for the Pacers, Mobley and Allen are perfect complements for one another in Cleveland. Neither one can necessarily be played off the court thanks to their innate instincts and ability to stay out of foul trouble. And if your team plays small against this duo, expect to be crushed. Monday night&rsquo;s upset win for the Cavaliers against the upstart Charlotte Hornets was the perfect example, because Cleveland&rsquo;s giants had their way early and often throughout.
In 152 minutes this season where Mobley and Allen have shared the court, Cleveland holds opponents to only 98.1 points per 100 possessions. In terms of team defensive ratings, that would rank Cleveland at No. 2 behind the Miami Heat (95.1). The Cavaliers&rsquo; preseason hypothesis of creating an elite infrastructure on defense centered around this duo has been deemed successful, albeit in a small sample size. However, based off the eye-test, there&rsquo;s no reason why these numbers should regress.
The one area where this pairing lacks is offensive efficiency. The Mobley-Allen minutes score 94.0 points per 100 possessions, which ranks last around the NBA in overall team-related offensive metrics. There&rsquo;s hope on this end, though. Mobley has already flashed on multiple occasions true superstar equity this early on in his career. If he reaches a Davis or Garnett-like tier down the road, these offensive woes won&rsquo;t matter in Year 1.
Another feather in the cap of Cleveland&rsquo;s long-term hopes is its offensive backcourt built around high-usage and three-level scoring headlined by Darius Garland and Collin Sexton. Having not been signed to a rookie extension, Sexton is in a contract season &mdash; he'll enter this summer as a restricted free agent. But Garland is a candidate to receive a hefty payday this offseason with a multi-year rookie extension. For the three-man lineup of Garland, Mobley and Allen, it actually carries a positive net rating, outscoring opponents by 1.0 points per 100 possessions (101.0 OffRtg, 100.0 DefRtg). Among three-man units for Cleveland, this is the only combination that produces better than 0.0.
Here&rsquo;s the current age for the Cavaliers&rsquo; entrenched long-term trio they&rsquo;re building around: Mobley (20), Garland (21), Allen (23). Cleveland is set up beautifully to be competitive throughout this season, then potentially make the real jump forward in 2022-23.
All that&rsquo;s missing in Cleveland is a wing scorer who can take some future burden off of Garland and Mobley. Right now, the Cavaliers are testing out how Markkanen and Okoro look alongside their gigantic rim protecting duo. So far, the results have been a mixed bag. Markkanen has looked much better defensively, but a lot of it is due to playing heavy minutes next to Mobley and Allen. On the other hand, Okoro adds even more defensive chops, but his offense, especially on the perimeter is nearly nonexistent. Making matters more difficult, he's been sidelined with a hamstring injury for the past four games straight. This season will be an evaluation period for the both of them, which should eventually help Cleveland decide what to do here.
(Luckily for Cleveland, Cedi Osman has filled in admirably as a scorching 48.4% three-baller who has looked more than capable as a rotation wing. Lamar Stevens doesn't quite bring the offensive punch, but the team trusts his defensive capabilities and physicality as well.)
If the Cavaliers make an aggressive move this offseason to find their wing of the future to pair next to Garland, Mobley, Allen and potentially Sexton in the starting lineup, they are going to quickly become a team that consistently makes playoff noise over the years. That looks to be the current missing ingredient in the kitchen, but the process of getting everything out of the bag and put together on the table shows true promise for creating a spectacular five-star dish.
The main reason why? The uniquely-gifted frontcourt duo of Mobley and Allen looks like it will thrive together within the modern small-ball, pace-and-space era. It&rsquo;s a rarity, but one that Cleveland is more than ready to use to its advantage.

The Cavaliers have a unique long-term advantage with their giant frontcourt duo in Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen.