Maybe I was a little early to the party, but I could see better days ahead on Ohio’s North Coast.
On Feb. 5, 2021, I wrote, “If the NBA playoffs were to start this week, the Cleveland Cavaliers would be in the field.
“Let that sink in.”
The franchise was moribund after LeBron James took his talents to Hollywood. Following back-to-back 19-win seasons, a year ago at this time, the Cavs were showing something different.
They were 10-11 and tied for seventh in the Eastern Conference. More than that, they were finding an identity. In a copycat league, they were going counterintuitive and zigging while everyone else was zagging.
The Cavs went big, while the NBA was going 3-ball crazy.
“This isn’t a team that will challenge for a championship,” I wrote a year ago. “They may not be good enough to see the playoffs — especially if they decide to make more roster moves via trades over the next month.
“But there are pieces that are quietly turning into enviable parts.
“This year’s Cavs won’t make anyone forget the LeBron years, but on a cold winter’s night, they aren’t a waste of time anymore.
“And that’s really some serious progress.”
Last season was an interesting experiment that showed signs of working until roster upheaval and the expected growing pains by young players derailed the season, causing Cleveland to lose 39 of its last 51 games.
But as I said, there was some serious progress made. They were no longer rudderless. They had a purpose and an identity.
They also had the No. 3 pick in the upcoming draft, and that is arguably the sweetest spot to be. Recent third picks in the draft include All-Stars Jayson Tatum, Luka Doncic, Jaylen Brown, Joel Embiid, Bradley Beal and James Harden. Rookie of the Year LaMelo Ball was a third pick, too.
Other historically great players from the past who were picked third were Carmello Anthony, Pau Gasol, Chauncey Billups, Jerry Stackhouse, Grant Hill, Penny Hardaway, Kevin McHale, Dominique Wilkins and some dude named Michael Jordan.
For a franchise trending in a positive direction, this would likely alter the trajectory even more.
Tatum and Brown helped Boston to a couple Eastern Conference finals. The process eventually worked out with Philly getting a cornerstone piece with Embiid. Dallas found its heir apparent after the retirement of Dirk Nowitzki when it drafted Doncic. Charlotte is on an upswing with Ball.
Add Evan Mobley to the list of transformative rookies.
Simply put, he’s pushing Kyrie Irving, Ron Harper, Brad Daugherty and Austin Carr for the title of second-best rookie to ever play in Cleveland. Also, when the comparisons are to hall of famers Chris Bosh and Kevin Garnett, you know he’s a special player.
The 7-footer from USC is averaging 15 points and 7.8 rebounds with 2.6 assists and 1.7 blocks. He’s shooting 54 percent on 2-pointers, 71 percent on free throws and just under 30 percent on 3-pointers with 1.4 attempts per game.
But the counting stats don’t do his impact justice.
Last year Cleveland ranked 28th out of 30 teams with an offensive rating of 105.8 and 25th on defense at 114.4 for a net rating of -8.6, which was third from the bottom in the NBA.
This season is the opposite of that. The Cavs are 11th in offensive rating at 111.1 and third in defensive rating at 106.2, putting them fourth in net rating at +4.9. That’s a swing of 13.5 points in their direction.
And that’s why the Cavaliers are 27-19 and sitting sixth in the East, but only 2.5 games out of first place. They are a half-game behind defending world champion Milwaukee.
Mobley’s defensive impact as a 7-footer who can cover just about anyone away from the basket and still recover quickly enough for help in the paint is a major reason for the turnaround, but he’s not alone.
Center Jarrett Allen could make his first All-Star game this season, putting up 16.3 points and 10.9 rebounds, while shooting 70 percent from the floor and line. Golden State’s Steph Curry tried to warn everyone about Cleveland point guard Darius Garland before this season, and the third-year pro could be an All-Star, too, averaging 19.8 points and eight assists, while shooting 47 percent overall, 37 percent from range and 91 percent from the foul line.
Keeping with the skyline theme, new acquisition and 7-footer Lauri Markkanen also starts and puts up 13.7 points, while Kevin Love has reawakened as a sixth man who averages 14 points, seven rebounds and shoots 40 percent from deep. Isaac Okoro looks more comfortable in his second season and is turning into the defensive stopper on the wing that the Cavs envisioned when they drafted him, while Cedi Osman, still only 26, offers double-digit scoring off the bench.
It lost guards Collin Sexton and Ricky Rubio to season-ending knee injuries, but Cleveland is hopeful point guard Rajon Rondo can harken back to version he showed in helping the Lakers to an NBA championship just two seasons ago in the bubble.
The Cavs aren’t a perfect team. Their supply of wings is limited, and if Rondo can’t replicate what Rubio was giving, then even more will be laid on Garland, who is already carrying a load as a backcourt shooter and distributor. Outside of Love and Rondo, playoff experience is nonexistent.
Maybe help comes via a trade, but that could tinker with a young team’s budding chemistry.
Nevertheless, the Cavs are no longer the league’s punchline. They aren’t the wasteland they were in the aftermath of James Version 2.0, and they aren’t the goofs John Beilein was going to coach-up either.
Not only are they now a legit NBA franchise, they are a legit playoff contender that could win a series or maybe two.
As I wrote a year ago: “This year’s Cavs won’t make anyone forget the LeBron years, but on a cold winter’s night, they aren’t a waste of time anymore.
“And that’s really some serious progress.”
Indeed it is.
Rob McCurdy is the sports writer at the Marion Star and USA Today Network-Ohio and can be reached at rmccurdy@gannett.com, 419-610-0998, Twitter @McMotorsport and Instagram @rob_mccurdy_star.
This article originally appeared on Marion Star: McCurdy: Cleveland Cavaliers no longer “a waste of time anymore”