The good news.
Cleveland sports media has finally gotten around to giving the Cavaliers the same level of recognition they give the Guards and Browns.
The bad news.
It’s mainly bad.
The Cavs 2023-2024 campaign came to an unfortunate end Wednesday night, as they were eliminated by the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals 113-98.
Then, within an hour of the game finishing, in the words of my uncle, Ryan, it all went sideways.
Cleveland.com Cavs writer Chris Fedor reported that Donovan Mitchell “grew frustrated with some teammate’s lack of maturity, focus, playoff-level readiness, and a willingness to listen.” While Mitchell himself was quick to shut these rumors down, tweeting, “Yeah aight 🧢 I’m sick of y’all sometimes!”, it would get the ball rolling on several headlines surrounding the team.
SSuperagentRich Paul may demand a Darius Garland trade if Donovan Mitchell stays.
Evan Mobley’s agent told the Cavs not to draft him in 2021.
Jarrett Allen refused injections that would have allowed him to return in the series against Boston.
Cavs may look to trade Allen this offseason.
JB Bickerstaff’s job could be in jeopardy.
Mitchell is happy in Cleveland, despite reports over the last two seasons that he would leave as soon as he got the chance.
The news about Garland was first reported by ESPN’s Brian Windhorst. In his report, he confirmed that, if Donovan Mitchell decides to sign an extension, Garland and Klutch Sports will attempt to facilitate a trade.
“It’s not because Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell are at each other’s throats, it’s because they don’t fit”, said Windhorst.
As for the news about Mobley, this story proved to be minor. Supposedly, the Oklahoma City Thunder, Mobley’s preferred destination at the time, made multiple efforts to trade up for the Cavs third pick, as reported by The Athletic’s Shams Charania. However, since the draft, the relationship between the team and Mobley has been “healthy and positive.”
Center Jarrett Allen also had multiple stories come out about him. One from Charania detailed the team’s disdain about Allen reportedly refusing to accept injections to help him numb the pain from his rib injury sustained in round one and play against Boston.
The second, as reported by Windhorst, is that the Cavs will attempt to shop Allen this offseason, with the New Orleans Pelicans Brandon Ingram emerging as a potential trade target.
Another story reported by Charania is that head coach JB Bickerstaff’s days as head coach of the Cavs could be running low.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that the Cavs will take time to evaluate their situation before deciding on Bickerstaff’s future with the team, though the organization remains fond of him.
Thankfully, not all the news is negative.
The latest news that came out yesterday is about superstar Donovan Mitchell. As most Cavs fans know, basketball media outlets across the country have reported that Mitchell wants to leave, with the New York Knicks being a preferred destination.
However, on the NBA pregame show yesterday, Wojnarowski reported that Mitchell told him, “I am happy in Cleveland. I’ve been happy since I’ve arrived in Cleveland.”
Another report from Brian Windhorst stated the Cavs are very optimistic that Mitchell will resign.
This offseason will surely be as hectic of a summer as the Cavs have had since the LeBron days, which leads to another major story.
LeBron is a free agent.
As with every time he hits the market, rumors are rampant about his intentions. However, his presence at Game 4 of the Cavs series against the Celtics is surely something everyone noticed, whether that be players, fans, executives, etc.
The next few months are going to be crazy, so Cavalier fans should buckle up, as anything can happen.
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