90sgoat
04-27-2023, 01:22 PM
With the series over, it didn't even look close.
On paper, these two teams where evenly matched. Some might even give it to Cavs with their dynamic star Donovan Mitchell and their up and coming big man duo of Jarett Allen and Evan Mobley, not to mention Darius Garland, who also excites when his game is on.
Knicks on the other hand, might have had the second biggest name on paper with All-Star bully baller Julius Randle, but other than that, the Knicks were widely considered as a group of flawed talents, not quite good enough players, like Mitchell Robinson, Josh Hart and RJ Barrett, the latter of whom seem to have stepped and be comfortable in the playoff environment.
Is the different in leadership between Brunson and Mitchell that obvious?
In my prediction thread (http://www.insidehoops.com/forum/showthread.php?511054-Mavs-Luka-fans-who-you-got-in-the-playoffs) I was always high on the Knicks, choosing them as my Eastern Conference team (along with Sac-Town for the West).
Me being high on the Knicks is because I've seem them bully Mavs and Luka over the last couple of seasons. They're a tough, defensive minded team, and while on paper they don't look as good as say Cleveland, in reality, their perimeter guys like Barrett and Quickley are tough defenders and Mitchell Robinson patrols the paint.
Imo, they have a very strong core and they should be a prime location for a big free agent signing, say ... Pascal Siakam? Or Klay Thompson? Or maybe even James Harden in a 6th man role.
Cleveland on the other hand, will have some soul searching to do.
As the great sports scholar FultzNationRise (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ) said: "Tried telling yall Mitchell is a stat stuffer, not a floor general. Brunson >> (http://www.insidehoops.com/forum/showthread.php?511303-Tried-telling-yall-Mitchell-is-a-stat-stuffer-not-a-floor-general-Brunson-gt-gt)".
And I tend to agree, that he isn't a floor general, but he is a very exciting and athletic shooting guard, who just needs his Curry/Paul, so he can slide to a more natural role of scorer and not be a leader.
That leaves the odd man out, Darius Garland, who simply does not fit what Cleveland are doing. He's an exciting scoring guard, but like Mitchell, contributes nothing in the form of playmaking and even less in leadership. He should be possible to trade for a nice haul. Incidentally, Cleveland would have been good with Brunson, but he's in Knicks, so the goal this summer for Cavs, should be to find a veteran point guard.
They might also have to do some thinking about what kind of identity they want. Are they an exciting scoring team, lead by the modern big Mobley or are they a nitty-gritty physical team led by Allen. The fact they got bullied so much by Knicks, might be the writing on the wall, that they're not a physical team. Should Cavs trade Allen for some more talent in scoring down low?
In any case, the Cleveland Cavaliers are one of the more up and coming exciting teams in the NBA, but their core has flaws and unless they act to get more balance, they might end up in a OKC big-3 situation soon enough.
On paper, these two teams where evenly matched. Some might even give it to Cavs with their dynamic star Donovan Mitchell and their up and coming big man duo of Jarett Allen and Evan Mobley, not to mention Darius Garland, who also excites when his game is on.
Knicks on the other hand, might have had the second biggest name on paper with All-Star bully baller Julius Randle, but other than that, the Knicks were widely considered as a group of flawed talents, not quite good enough players, like Mitchell Robinson, Josh Hart and RJ Barrett, the latter of whom seem to have stepped and be comfortable in the playoff environment.
Is the different in leadership between Brunson and Mitchell that obvious?
In my prediction thread (http://www.insidehoops.com/forum/showthread.php?511054-Mavs-Luka-fans-who-you-got-in-the-playoffs) I was always high on the Knicks, choosing them as my Eastern Conference team (along with Sac-Town for the West).
Me being high on the Knicks is because I've seem them bully Mavs and Luka over the last couple of seasons. They're a tough, defensive minded team, and while on paper they don't look as good as say Cleveland, in reality, their perimeter guys like Barrett and Quickley are tough defenders and Mitchell Robinson patrols the paint.
Imo, they have a very strong core and they should be a prime location for a big free agent signing, say ... Pascal Siakam? Or Klay Thompson? Or maybe even James Harden in a 6th man role.
Cleveland on the other hand, will have some soul searching to do.
As the great sports scholar FultzNationRise (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ) said: "Tried telling yall Mitchell is a stat stuffer, not a floor general. Brunson >> (http://www.insidehoops.com/forum/showthread.php?511303-Tried-telling-yall-Mitchell-is-a-stat-stuffer-not-a-floor-general-Brunson-gt-gt)".
And I tend to agree, that he isn't a floor general, but he is a very exciting and athletic shooting guard, who just needs his Curry/Paul, so he can slide to a more natural role of scorer and not be a leader.
That leaves the odd man out, Darius Garland, who simply does not fit what Cleveland are doing. He's an exciting scoring guard, but like Mitchell, contributes nothing in the form of playmaking and even less in leadership. He should be possible to trade for a nice haul. Incidentally, Cleveland would have been good with Brunson, but he's in Knicks, so the goal this summer for Cavs, should be to find a veteran point guard.
They might also have to do some thinking about what kind of identity they want. Are they an exciting scoring team, lead by the modern big Mobley or are they a nitty-gritty physical team led by Allen. The fact they got bullied so much by Knicks, might be the writing on the wall, that they're not a physical team. Should Cavs trade Allen for some more talent in scoring down low?
In any case, the Cleveland Cavaliers are one of the more up and coming exciting teams in the NBA, but their core has flaws and unless they act to get more balance, they might end up in a OKC big-3 situation soon enough.