October 31, 2023 • 38 mins
One of the newest Cavaliers, Max Strus, joined hosts Tim Alcorn and Jim Chones at media day. Cavs beat writer from cleveland.com, Chris Fedor, joins the show to go over the start of the regular season.
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Speaker 1 (00:09):
Welcome to Calves HQ presented by Betway. Thank you for
joining us on the Medical Mutual Cavaliers Audio Verse. Here
are your hosts, Tim Alcorn and Jim Jones.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
From the Cavaliers production studios at Rock and Mortgage Field
House in downtown Cleveland. Hi again, everybody, and welcome back
another edition of caves HQ presented by Betway. Great to
have you with us on this Monday night. Cavaliers three
games in opened up the year with a win over
Brooklyn and then two tough home losses over the weekend
(00:44):
OKC in Indiana and a busy week ahead back to
back with the Knicks Tuesday night here, Wednesday night there,
and then we'll go from New York to Indiana Friday
night the first in season tournament game as the Calves
and the Pacers, we'll play in an nd season tournament contest. Jim,
We've got a fun show upcoming. I know you're really
(01:05):
excited about this Max Strus Evan Mobley combination that seems
to be developing. And then later in the show we'll
be joined by the terrific Chris Fiedor.
Speaker 3 (01:15):
Yeah, there's a lot of stuff I always like to
pick Chris's head and just to see where he's at
as far as what we're doing as a Cavalier team.
But I'm really excited about Mobli and Strus, but especially
Mobili because by picking up the pace, we're able to
see what he can do. And let me tell you
something about pace. You know a lot of times, boy,
(01:36):
you got to get in the pace of the game.
That's not necessarily true. You can create the pace of
the game the best suits your style of play. What
we're seeing is Mobley taking that next step because he's
playing faster and he's playing more ninety by fifty rather
than playing a lot of half court basketball.
Speaker 2 (01:53):
Great stuff from Jim. So we'll take a quick time out.
When we come back, Jim and I will delve into
this Max Evan Mobley combo. Stay with Us. CAP's HQ,
presented by bet Wait continues after this, I'm the Medical
Mutual Cavaliers audio verse. The screws left of the lane,
(02:14):
bounced them boldly up good off the glass. That's the
combination to Bodley comes around on Strews screen and buggled
at home. Here comes Truce to the fore court, hands
off Bobley with the left hand a south postmash by
Evan Baulbley Bye Goodness, one O nine, one O seven.
Speaker 4 (02:36):
You think you found someone to play with?
Speaker 5 (02:38):
I mean, there're two intelligence basketball players who understand the
game at a high level. They know how to break
down defenses, and they know how to make the right read.
And you know, more and more they play together, the
better it's just going to continue to get. But there's
such a threat, right like Max is such a threat
coming off to shoot. And I think one of the
things that you know, people have underestimated is is playmaking
(02:59):
a bill. He has the ability to throw those lobs
or make the little pocket pass, you know, depending on
what the big guy does defensively. So I think the
two of them together, they're gonna be hard reguarded.
Speaker 2 (03:11):
Talking back Kevin's HQ presented by Betway, a little highlight
montage there of that Struce MOBILEI combo, and then JB's
thoughts on how they're coming together and Jim Jones, You've
been talking about that the past couple of broadcasts, that
these two and it's still early, but they really seem
to be developing some chemistry.
Speaker 3 (03:31):
Yeah, And the chemistry is based on reading the defense
and making the proper decisions. But it also has to
do with your skill set. Each player has to understand
what the other can do and can't do. And this
is proof of it. What it's done for Mobili is
that Strus runs the floor. So if Mobli wants to
be in the action and he's looking for Struce to
(03:53):
feed him, he has to run the floor. And I've
always said this that if a big runs the floor,
to get caught down low with small players and you'll
have a matchup advantage. And that's exactly what Mobley's done.
He runs the floor, Max runs, he runs, so that
gives us a bigger threat in transitioning early in the clock.
(04:14):
And then that two man action that they work with
either one guy handing off to the other or the
little pocket pass. All of that's working and teams are
scouting that and now they said, oh my goodness, we
know that LeVert can play with any of the starting five,
especially the backcourt. Now we got to worry about Struce
and Mobley. They seem to have a chemistry. All of
that works as far as your offense, and the Cavs
(04:36):
are gonna need that, especially in the second half of
the season.
Speaker 2 (04:39):
Well, here's Max Strew's talking about playing with Evan Mobley.
Speaker 6 (04:43):
It's getting a lot better. I think we're getting more
comfortable with each other. I think there's so much we
can do together putting ourselves in those situations. And you know,
we've played against two tough bigs that have played well
and then drop coverage, So I think it can only
get better. You know, we're watching film together every single
day and getting with each other and just trying to
read each other better.
Speaker 2 (05:02):
And the other part of that tandem. Evan Mobley says,
no doubt, So he's building some chemistry with Max Drews.
Speaker 7 (05:08):
Great opportunity for us to keep building that, especially this game,
for like, me and Max had a really step in
because the lossa that we had from all the other players.
But I feel like as a whole, we played pretty well,
built a lot of chemistry, and we're just gonna keep
getting better from that.
Speaker 2 (05:28):
Jim, one of the things that you've alluded to, and
obviously we've read about it is bam at a bios
connection with Max Druce down in Miami and how they're
trying to translate that to Evan now working with Max
here in Cleveland.
Speaker 3 (05:43):
Well, it's old school stuff. You know, anytime that you're
a starter, you always gravitate towards the guys that will
give you the ball or that you can give the
ball too. We have a lot of different combinations on
the floor that work for us, and probably the number
one guy who's been who's been really good at that,
has been LeVert. He has the ability to play with
(06:04):
everybody in that starting lineup, and that's unique because not
everybody can play with everybody and make the right decisions
with everybody. But now you've got Evan Mobley's Max Strew's threat,
and that puts so much pressure on the opposition's defense,
especially if that big can run because what he's done
Tim if you've listened and watched the last three games faithful,
(06:27):
what you're seeing is him cleaning stuff up and put
backs early in the clock because he's running the floor
and there's more opportunities to score, and he can use
his length and get to the rim and dunk it
back in or lay it back up. All of that
works for us. You see a lot of times biggs
get into this thing where they're waiting for somebody to
(06:48):
give them the balls. They could do their thing Now
there's another level of basketball called creation and hustle points,
and that's what Mobley's doing now. Early in the clock.
He's running the floor because he knows that he'll be
rewarded by Max if he can get himself down the floor.
But if he does it, he's been there to get
the second shot opportunities and the putbacks. If he can
(07:10):
get six to eight points a game just on those
transition hustle things, then they don't have to keep looking. Okay,
I got to get v and the ball because he
hadn't had many touches. He has to get to the
point where he can create his own touches, and he's
doing that right now.
Speaker 2 (07:25):
Well, they're getting to learn each other and know each
other out there on the floor, and Max Shrews talks
about what he's learned about playing with Mobley.
Speaker 6 (07:34):
I mean, you don't really get to know people when
you play against him. And I think the one thing
I've noticed about him is his IQ. I think he's
just he sees the game so well and understands it.
He's a heck of a passer and he's just you know,
he's a really smart high IQ player that you know
is making me better as well.
Speaker 2 (07:51):
And Evan echoes that saying, listen, Max Drews and I
are really starting to read each other.
Speaker 7 (07:55):
Well, timing and just reading the defense. Just the big
over towards Max hit me. If not, keep going until
he rotates over. If not, laid in. So it's just reading, read,
and reacting. I thought we prayed a pretty good basketball with.
Speaker 2 (08:11):
That boy, Jim. If they look this comfortable early on
and there's a long season ahead, how good can this
duo become?
Speaker 3 (08:19):
Well, I think that there are a couple of duels
that are exceptional. If you look at Jokich and Murray,
you can also look at Curry and Draymont. You know,
there's situations where those guys become main stakes. Those guys
are able to get Murray, Jokiche or Curry six to
eight points a game just by the two man action,
(08:41):
reading the defense and making the proper decisions. All of
that's basketball. All of that is just another level of playing.
The thing that I'm so excited about is that JB's
picking up the pace early in the clock, which allowed
Mobley to be more athletic. He doesn't have to clawed
up and down the floor like a yok whether they
wait for him in half court sets. You know he
(09:02):
can be a thread early in the clock because of
his length and his mobility, because they're pushing and trying
to score early in the clock.
Speaker 4 (09:09):
Tim.
Speaker 3 (09:10):
All of that is how you get to where you
need to be. But what it's done for Mobili, it's
allowed us to see more of what he can do,
and he can do a lot more.
Speaker 2 (09:19):
Like great stuff. Jim Jones talking about that Struce MOBILEI
combo that seems to be coming together early on for
the Cavaliers. Well, speaking of Max Struce, he's been impressive
so far through the three games. He's been a Cleveland
cav Jim and I on media Day had a chance
to chat with Max Streus. We'll bring you that conversation
after this. Cavs HQ presented by Betway follows this time
(09:42):
out on the Medical Mutual Cavaliers audio Verse out front
strews three ball on the way Streuce has eighteen points
on six bombs. Tim, it was that extra pad Johnavan
with the steel right side quit three match, got Bob
right side strews three ball is up. He's got another
(10:05):
one and he moves.
Speaker 3 (10:07):
So well without it. Jad talks about it in training. Tim,
the guy is always in motion.
Speaker 2 (10:12):
Tim, you're experiencing Calves h Q on the Medical Mutual
Cavaliers audiovers.
Speaker 1 (10:18):
Once again, here's Tim Alcorn and Jim Jones.
Speaker 2 (10:21):
Cavs fans have been experiencing Max Struce in his first
three games as a Cavalier, and boy he has been
fun to watch. Back on media Day, Jim Jones and
I had a chance to chat with Max Strus and
Jim Jones got things started with the new Cavalier.
Speaker 3 (10:37):
Max. I want to thank you for being available. Timing
is everything, you know what I'm saying absolutely, you know.
I know you enjoyed playing Miami Heat because of the culture,
and you had had big ears for Jimmy, but he's
a Marquette man and so am I. But the point
is is that we're looking for someone to make that
(10:57):
short corner three. I think it's that simple, don't you
At some point when you have that dominant backcourt.
Speaker 6 (11:02):
Yeah, all I'm here to do is provide spacing for
for Darius and Donovan to get downhill. So create spacing
knocked out open threes. It seems easy. It's a tough job,
as you know. Sweets knocking down the threes. But I'm
here to do that and that's my job. I'm gonna
do that to the best of my ability.
Speaker 2 (11:19):
Max, your journey to this point has been amazing. To
get to the Cavaliers undrafted. A couple of teams talk
about the work and the effort that you've put in
to now get that big contract and get the role
with Miami and now the Cavaliers.
Speaker 4 (11:35):
Yeah.
Speaker 6 (11:35):
No, it's took a lot of you know, getting through adversity,
a lot of hard work. But that's nothing new to me.
You know, That's all I've done in my career to
get to where I am, going from Division two to
Division one to undrafted, to tear my acl to you know,
working my way back into the league, and then you know,
finally to where I am now, and you know that
(11:57):
the work's not gonna stop. I got you know, I
got a great contract. I'm very happy for it. I'm great.
I'm grateful to be here in Cleveland. But my ability
to shoot the ball is because of the work I
put in and the talent that I have in doing that.
And that's just who I am and what I'm about.
So it's going to keep continuing to do that and
you know, hopefully make the team better off for it.
Speaker 3 (12:19):
Tell me if I'm wrong. Your mother played.
Speaker 6 (12:22):
My mom played basketball and volleyball at the Paul Big Rivals.
Speaker 4 (12:29):
I am, I am. I'm from the South side of Chicago.
Speaker 3 (12:31):
Yeah, so you've played in open gyms and played that
Chicago fast.
Speaker 4 (12:36):
Oh yeah, yeah, exactly.
Speaker 3 (12:38):
Well, after you've had a chance to play with these guys,
what do you see for this team in relationship to
the Heat team that.
Speaker 6 (12:45):
You that you left. Yeah, you know, we got so
much talent, so much talent. It's just about what we
can do with it. You know, we got a lot
of young guys who've experienced winning, but not at the
highest level. And you know, I'm grateful to you know,
have an Eastern Conference championship I belt, you know, two
years in a row making it there and then last
year making it the finals but coming up short. So
(13:06):
any experience, any knowledge that I gained from those you know,
opportunities that I had, I'm willing to give back to
this team and hopefully, you know, help us get there.
So you know, we have the talent to do it.
It's just about putting the pieces together. And we got
great guys, really good dudes that you know, enjoy each other.
And that's a huge part of it, is liking to
play with each other and learning to play with each
(13:26):
other and then everything else to take care of itself.
Speaker 2 (13:28):
Max, could you talk about that mentality that mindset to
get to an Eastern Conference finals, to get to an
NBA finals. So many guys on this team are so
young and having been through those wars, what do you
hope to impart on them about what it takes to
get to that next level.
Speaker 4 (13:47):
It's hard. It's hard. There's no script to get there.
Speaker 6 (13:55):
You know, you just got to learn to deal with
adversity in the right ways and and how you bounce back,
you know, when you get punched down. So I've learned
a lot of things during these past two playoff runs
and you know, just the ability to, you know, if
you lose a game, take it one game at a time,
and you know it's the first four in every series.
So just getting there and and trying to take it
(14:17):
one game at a time and and and really treating
each game like as a championship is what you have
to do. And uh, you know, it's a it's a
tough mentality.
Speaker 2 (14:24):
To have.
Speaker 6 (14:25):
But as long as you could say mentally strong through
it all, your your team will you know, should come
out in the end, because that's what that's what we
did in Miami, and you know it was it was
an unbelievable experience.
Speaker 3 (14:34):
Let's talk a little bit about the game. JB mentioned
something and it was called spacing an opportunity. Are you
familiar with that term? Does that mean that you shoot
early in the clock or you take advantage of what
does that mean?
Speaker 4 (14:46):
Yeah?
Speaker 6 (14:47):
I mean I think we're gonna play fast and you know,
space to floor. We got a lot of guys, like
I said, that are talented and can get downhill and
can shoot. You know, not only can it can Donovan
and Darius get downhill and get to the rim, but
they're also terrific shooters. So the ability to have guys
like that on the floor to create the spacing and
(15:07):
then create opportunities for each other, I think that's that's
the huge thing that Jab has been preaching. And you know,
we got a guy, got a lot of guys and
just the ability to play free, but play free within
reason to get to get the right shots and take
the right shots is something you.
Speaker 4 (15:20):
Know, we'll learn next.
Speaker 2 (15:22):
Personnel wise, what really excites you about this Cavalier team?
Speaker 4 (15:26):
Our depth.
Speaker 6 (15:28):
I think Kobe did a great job this summer. You know,
I say that selfishly and I'm bringing me here, but
I think brilliant move. I think the ability to have
George Nyang, you know, another guy that can knock down
shouts off the bench. You know, a guy like Tied
Jerome that can you know, come in and and and
(15:49):
you know, be a point guard and and you know,
kind of lead the direction and you know, lead the
guys in charge. And I just think it's it's been
a you know, a big off season for us that
I think can help us in a lot of ways.
And not saying anything about the guys that have been here,
because they've won at a very high level, but it's
just how can we take that next step? And I
(16:10):
think we got the right pieces and the right depth
to do it. Just all about putting it together. And
you know, we're gonna we're gonna put in the time
and effort this season to do that.
Speaker 2 (16:18):
Great conversation with Max s Drew's held that on media Day,
and of course Max has been terrific through three games
with the Calves. We'll take a time out. We've got
a lot more to come. Calves HQ, presented by Betway,
continues after this on the Medical Mutual Cavaliers Audio Verse.
Speaker 8 (16:41):
In support of Ohio's Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the Cleveland
Cavaliers once again partnered with Cleveland Clinic on Breast Cancer
Awareness Night this past Saturday night. During the Pacers game,
the Calves educated fans on how to join in on
the fight against breast cancer and support various Northeast Ohio
nonprofits that prove support care and resources in the community.
(17:03):
Additional special moments included honoring two time fighter Emily Myers
as that night's stiff maker of the game. Team members
and their family and friends joined together to form a
human pink ribbon on the court. Calves in the Community
is brought to you by Discount Drug mart. We'll be
back with the second half of Calves HQ, presented by Betway.
Right after this on the Cavaliers Audio.
Speaker 9 (17:26):
Vers ice Box at the Morley Runner Lane, Evan in
middle Age put it up, star around the rim and.
Speaker 3 (17:37):
D was that a turnaround?
Speaker 2 (17:38):
Joppa Sweet hands off Scruce three ball Peace got another one.
Max Screw's on fire, Welcome to the Cavaliers Number one
Mitchell ouse Brunt on loads of three ball, Ballsye Bullseye,
Donovan Mitchell, Mitchell on loads of bomb and where it
(18:00):
Cavaliers up one fourteen one thirteen and we welcome you back,
Cavs HQ. It's presented by bethway All along the Medical
Mutual Cavaliers audio Verse, Tim Elcorn, Jim Jones. Great big
thank you to the Dynamic duo on the other side
of the window, Senior producer Kurt McLoughlin, Technical director Marty Allen.
(18:22):
Nice little highlight montage there, and of course that three
wall from Donovan Mitchell to close it out. That was
the game winner when the Cavaliers opened up the season
in Brooklyn. Of course, since then, a couple of tough
home losses Friday night to Oklahoma City and then Saturday
night to the Indiana Pacers. And just like Jim and I,
(18:43):
a guy that has been there for all three of
those games and really watched closely and did great reporting
on all three of those as he always does, Chris
Fiedor from Cleveland dot Com stops by to pay us
a visit. Chris has always great to have you on
Cavs HQ always a pleasure.
Speaker 4 (18:59):
My guys.
Speaker 2 (19:00):
Well, it's a small sample size, and obviously we really
haven't had that full roster even go yet. But what
have you seen so far three games? Taking that into account,
that's caught your attention.
Speaker 10 (19:12):
I think the thing that stands out to me, guys,
and you're right, they've used three different starting lineups in
the first three games, so we don't have a full
picture of what this is all going to look like.
The numbers are obviously skewed by the fact that many
important players have been missing, including Jared Allen, who has
been shut down sixth October seventh. But I think the
(19:33):
thing that stands out to me is that there is
a clear commitment from top on down to make this
offense more explosive and make this offense something more than
what it was last year during the regular season and
of course in the seven game series against the Knicks,
when the Cavs lost that series four games to one
(19:53):
and led for forty nine total minutes because they couldn't
consistently score the ball, because they couldn't consistently get quality
looks at the offensive end. So it seems to me
that the Calves are making a commitment that if their
defense is going to take a slight step back, just
a slight step back for positive big gains on the
(20:13):
offensive end. That's something that they're willing to do. And
we've seen that in the first three games last year,
the Cavs guys played at the slowest pace in the
entire NBA. This year, so far through three games, they're
tied for thirteen. So they're playing faster, they're pushing on
misses and makes, they're getting into their offense quicker, they're
(20:35):
making quicker decisions once they do get into the half
court and I think all of that in the long
term is going to benefit them greatly.
Speaker 3 (20:44):
Yeah, Chris, you're all over it as usual. You know,
one time people have been asking me what chulenges they're
picking up the pace, what does it do to our defense? Well,
when you pick up the pace, especially with early opportunities,
and then you settle into your half court sets, what
happens is that since the game is faster, you give
the opposition more opportunities to score. And you're all over
(21:07):
when you said the defense may give up a few
more points, but we're looking past that. I mean, think
about it. The teams that we've beaten with that fifty
one to thirty one record are basically the teams that
we're supposed to be. Do you see us getting to
the next level? Is there anything that you've seen in
training camp that would have you to believe that we
can take that next step and start beating some of
(21:29):
them upper echelon teams consistently.
Speaker 10 (21:32):
So that's the thing, guys, I think that's the way
that I've put it as well. We know that the
Cavs are good. We've seen them. We've seen them go
from forty four wins in a play in tournament appearance
to fifty one wins and playoffs four seed in the
Eastern Conference. Going from good to great is much more difficult.
(21:53):
In the NBA, it's a lot easier to go from
bad to good. You just stockpile a bunch of picks.
You hope that those hits. You make some moves in
free agency and trades, you establish a culture, and then
you would think organically, if you do things the right way,
you start to rise. But going from good to great
and getting into the tier with Boston and Milwaukee in
(22:14):
the Eastern Conference, that's a tougher step for the Calves.
I do think though, that they're better equipped to win
a playoff series, and it's hard to project, Hey, the
Calves are going to go to the Eastern Conference Finals
or the Calves have a legitimate chance to represent the
Eastern Conference in the NBA Finals, because the playoffs are
so much about matchups. You saw that last year against
(22:36):
the Knicks. A lot of the strength of the Knicks
were the weaknesses of the Calves and that was a
really bad matchup and that showed itself in those five games.
But I think they're better equipped to advance further in
the playoffs because of the style that they're playing offensively,
because of their ability to create easier looks on the
offensive end, because of the diversification of their offense. Last year,
(23:00):
they were one of the most pick and roll heavy
teams in the entire NBA and that was very, very predictable,
and they did that for a reason. Donovan and Darius
are great pick and roll players. Evan Mobley and Jared
Allen are great pick and roll bigs, and that was
their best path to offense. But diversifying that getting some
off ball movement with Max Struce running some offense at
(23:20):
the elbow in the post through Evan Mobley and Jared Allen.
That's going to make it more difficult for defenses to
load up on Darius and Donovan the way that the
Knicks did. And they have more shooting, they have more spacing. JB.
Bickerstaff has more lineup flexibility and lineup options at his disposal.
So I do think they're equipped based on the personnel
(23:41):
changes that they made this offseason to advance further in
the playoffs. But I still believe that Milwaukee and Boston
are just not a completely different tier from a talent perspective.
Speaker 2 (23:53):
A great point again, Chris Fiedor our guests from Cleveland
dot com boy, I hope you, like thousands of others,
are following Chris on Twitter. He does a magnificent job. Heck,
you may recognize his voice. He does a lot of
media here in Cleveland, as he should. Covers the calves
in just an outstanding way. Chris, Jim and I in
the first half of the show, we were talking about
(24:15):
the Max Druce, Evan Mobley combo and Jim really sees
that coming just in three games. I know you've written
about it, but from your perspective, dive a little deeper
into what you see developing with Max and Evan.
Speaker 10 (24:30):
Yeah, I mean a big part of it is they've
got to have the confidence in Evan right to be
a playmaker, to be an initiator, to make the decisions
at the elbow in the post the way that the
Miami Heat have him Bolden bam Adebayo to do that.
And that's part of Evan's evolution, I would say.
Speaker 2 (24:47):
But he's got that.
Speaker 10 (24:48):
Playmaking skill set, he's got that passing skill set. And
you know, early on in training camp, Max Druce and
Evan Mobley, we're talking about the possibility of creating a
two man game similar to what Miami has with Streuce
and I to Bio in the last couple of years.
And Max actually had the video department pull some clips
of him and bam together so that Evan could watch those.
(25:10):
Evan had to be open to it. He was open
to it. He was willing to break those down to
see where Max likes the ball, the footwork that he
needs on those specific sets, the opportunities that it created
for Miami's offense in the past.
Speaker 2 (25:26):
So it is.
Speaker 10 (25:27):
Something that I think can help unlock Evan and unlock
a bit of the Cavs offense. And it all goes back,
guys to the personnel change. Like the Cavs didn't have
somebody with the skill set of Max Struce last year,
so they couldn't run those kinds of things, right, They
couldn't run off ball dho similar to what Miami did
with Bam and Struce. But because Streuce is here, because
(25:49):
he has that skill set, and because the Cavs believe
that Evan has some of that skill set as well,
they are able to run that two man action and.
Speaker 2 (25:58):
It was lethal.
Speaker 10 (25:59):
I mean, the Cavs didn't win the game, obviously, but
Max and Evan both played really really well against the
Pacers and it gave them more of a fighting chance
on the offensive end. And I just think it's going
to take pressure off of Darius and Donovan so that
they don't have to do everything. And I think the
defense is going to have its hands full in like
a pick your poison conundrum on a nightly basis, because
(26:23):
that two man game can be so effective and it
can just be another pathway to the Calves getting consistent
offense away from the pick and roll stuff that they run.
Speaker 2 (26:32):
Great insights Chris Fiedor, our guest on Calves HQ presented
by Betway. We'll sneak in a time out, but we've
got more from Chris, so stay with us. Cavs HQ
presented by Betway on the Medical Mutual Cavaliers audiovers will
continue right after this. Got it out front slivert three
(26:53):
ball is up.
Speaker 3 (26:55):
Publicabopa betsim bet Opa, bet is hot.
Speaker 2 (26:59):
Right now, outcomes run of the circle. One of the
lady drives it scores tew about the start for the
young guy from Pickering, Tim, He's sostoppable right now. Jim
Evan fires it to lavernon. His hand is sizzling right now.
Lavert around a Boldley screen. Three ball up, godhead a
fowl the Ted Kennedy better for Terris Laverton. That was
(27:24):
exciting Saturday night. What a first quarter for Karis Lavert
when he poured in twenty two points in that first
period against the Indiana Pacers. That was fun to call.
Welcome back cavs HQ presented by Betway on the Medical
Mutual Cavaliers Audio Verse. We're joined by Chris Fiedor from
Cleveland dot Com. Yours truly, Tim Elcorn along with Jim Jones,
(27:47):
Jimmy want to get things rolling here?
Speaker 3 (27:48):
With Chris Chris, I was just thinking, you know, if
you really think about it, how many teams could lose
two All Stars to start the season and a key
part of your bitch talking about the young guy Tie Jerome.
You lose three of your players, Donovan and then Darius
gone and still win. So when those guys come back,
what do we have to look forward to? I know
(28:09):
we'll have a bench because they're getting tremendous amount of
minutes right now. Talk a little bit about that and
your thoughts.
Speaker 10 (28:16):
Yeah, there's certainly that. And I'm also just really fascinated,
guys to see how the starting lineup is going to
function all together, because you know, last year the Cavs
used a bunch of different options at small forward. It
started with Karris Lavert. He won the training camp battle.
Then they went to Lamar Stevens after a brutal loss
(28:37):
against the Milwaukee Bucks, a game in which they met
together as a team and they had like a little
soul searching session and they had a heart to heart
in that locker room. Then they came back with Lamar
Stevens because they needed his toughness, his energy, his vocal
leadership on the court, and then eventually Isaacacorup became the
starting small forward. So this is Max's job. He is
(28:58):
the starting small forward. He's the guy that Cavs went
out in the offseason and they targeted. They said, Max
Strus is our number one target in free agency. We
believe that he can bring the starting five all together
and raise that ceiling in a way that Krislover can't,
in a way that Isaac Gacoro can, in a way
that Lamar Stevens or Jeti Offsman can't. So I'm fascinated
(29:20):
to see how that's going to function together. And then, yeah,
you're right. I mean, the bench should be deeper, the
bench should have more playable bodies. JB has to trust
Ti Jerome to run that second unit. It remains to
be seen if he's going to do that. But at
the very least because of the moves that they made
(29:40):
this offseason, guys, I just feel like last year, so
many of the decisions that jv vickerstaff had to make
as a coach were either or propositions. Either I'm going
to go defense heavy or I'm going to go offense. Heavy,
and he was giving up one of the other with
every decision he made. Lamar Stevens don't have enough offense,
(30:01):
Jeddi Osman don't have enough defense, right, and you just
go down the list. Now, I think there are more
two way players on that bench. That gives JB better options,
more lineup versatility. They can play for shooters or they
can play big right, And I just think that's going
to manifest itself as the season goes on. Not something
(30:23):
that we've seen yet, but I think as the season
goes on, you're going to feel that and you're going
to see that.
Speaker 2 (30:28):
Chris, none of us have a crystal ball, but we
still try to look into one once in a while.
So as you look into it, what happens or what
do you foresee happening when Jarrett returns, How will that
tweak or alter things on both ends of the floor.
Really well, I think they're going to.
Speaker 10 (30:46):
Rise defensively because I think the beauty of what the
Cavs do on the defensive end is protect the paint.
And the reason why they are such a great team
when it comes to that and protecting the rim is
because they have two elite rim protectors like there are
a lot of teams around the NBA guys that have
an elite rim protector, But the cav have two two
(31:08):
guys in the conversation for Defensive Player of the Year
every year, two guys in the conversation for the NBA
all defensive teams, and that is what makes them unique.
That protects Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell and Max Trups on
the perimeter. So I think when Jarrett comes back, you're
going to see the Calves get back to something closer
to the defense that we saw last year when they
(31:30):
had the number one defense in the NBA in the
regular season, and they have the number one defense in
the NBA.
Speaker 2 (31:34):
And the posts as well.
Speaker 10 (31:36):
Jarrett is a big piece of that. Jared and Evans
together big piece of that. But I think the other
thing that you're going to see as the season progresses
is you're going to see Jarrett and Evan split up more.
I think the Calves are going to give Evan more
opportunities to be a center, to expand that part of
(31:56):
his game. Now they are going to be matchups where
this he may be overmatched when playing center, but I
think they want to give him that opportunity and splitting
up Jarrett and Evan more throughout the course of a
game allows the Calves to play more spacing, more shooting
on the offensive end of the floor if they feel
(32:17):
like they're not giving up as much defensively to justify that,
but I think the Calves want to play as many
four shooter lineups as they possibly can this year and
make things easier for them on the offensive end, and
that means staggering the minutes between Jarrett and Evan and
basically having Evan as the de facto center. That's something
(32:39):
that I think we're gonna see when both those guys
are healthy.
Speaker 2 (32:42):
Well, interesting take, Jim.
Speaker 3 (32:44):
Chris, Are they asking us to be more patient because
it's not like starting the season when those guys come back,
But there is going to be a time where they're
going to have to build up a rotation and a chemistry, right,
Oh sure.
Speaker 10 (32:59):
Yeah, there's no no doubt about it. I mean like
it takes time. Stylistically, these guys they didn't play with
a guy like Max Strips last year, right, Stylistically they
didn't play with a guy like George Niang last year,
So it's going to take time to see how those
guys function together with the other pieces. It's going to
(33:21):
take time for those guys to get comfortable trying to
find their particular role, where their shots are going to
come from, how many shots they're going to get on
a nightly basis, where they need to be on the
defensive end of the floor so that they could stay
on a string, Just like Darius and Donovan had to
go through growing pains together because it was two dominant
(33:42):
ball handlers trying to figure it out as they went,
and some of them had to play off the ball
on certain possessions and then other times they were on
the ball in certain possessions. All of those things the
Cavs have to figure out on the fly. And the
other thing, guys is Jamie Bickerstaff has a lot to
figure out, right, He's got to figure out the most
(34:02):
eight reliable guys in his rotation. Can he play ten
on a nightly basis? What if he goes down to eleven?
What if he has to play big versus small? What
if he has to play slow as opposed to fat?
What's their pet set in end of game situations when
they absolutely need to go out and find a bucket?
Who can they go to, what can they go to?
(34:25):
All of those things are going to be different from
last year, you would think, and all of those things
that's part of what the regular season is for, right
You have to find out answers so that you're better
equipped when the real test comes in the postseason. But
the only way that you find out those answers is
you experiment and you try different lineups and different combinations,
(34:46):
see what works, see what doesn't work. And that's going
to be a big part I think of the early
portion of the season for JB and for the Caps.
Speaker 2 (34:55):
Well, great stuff, Chris. Final question before we let you go.
Not only do you keep your your eye in your
ear and your finger on the pulse of the Cavaliers,
but you'll watch the NBA as a whole and again,
small sample size a few games in, but has anything
caught your attention?
Speaker 10 (35:12):
Well, the thing that has caught my attention is just
the impact that it seems like chrisps Porzingis can have
for the Celtics, because that was a big move that
the Celtics made, right, they were changing their style a
little bit. They got rid of heart and soul. Marcus Smart,
somebody who was critical to their ascension to one of
the best teams in the NBA. And I thought one
(35:34):
of the things that the Cavs had on their side
is just like the unknown attached to the Celtics, because
the Bucks and the Celtics have been in the conference finals.
One of those two teams has been in the Eastern
Conference Finals the last seven years. Right, But they also
made significant shakeups in how they looked. Obviously, the Bucks
(35:57):
went out and got a star player and Dame, but
Boston that deal for Perzingis was one where you were like, hmm,
I don't know how that's going to look. I don't
know how that's going to work. They're going to have
to go through growing pains. Did they hurt their depths
on the interior? For Zingis, it's early. Of course, he
(36:18):
looks rejuvenated, and he looks like an ideal fit for
how the Celtics want to go out and play. And
then on top of that, they added Drew Holliday to
take a place with Marcus Smart and do some of
those dirty things that Marcus does and handle some of
those tougher defensive assignments out there on the perimeter. So
(36:38):
they could just look like a step above every other
team in the Eastern Conference except for Milwaukee. Of course,
that's something that coming into the year, there were some
concerns that I had about the Celtics, questions that I
had about the Celtics. But it looks like it's going
to work out, maybe even better than a lot of
(36:58):
people intended, if Porzingis can stay healthy. And of course
that's a big if because he hasn't shown that throughout it.
Speaker 2 (37:05):
It's always been a big if with Chris tops no doubt, boy, Chris,
great stuff. As always when you join us on Cavs HQ,
we really appreciate it. We'll see you tomorrow night at
Rock and Mortgage Field Ows for game one of two
straight against the Knicks, and again I hope to have
you back real soon.
Speaker 3 (37:21):
Thanks Chris, great stuff.
Speaker 10 (37:23):
That one could be spicy.
Speaker 2 (37:27):
Totally agree Chris Vedor, our guest here on Cavs HQ,
presented by Betway Boy. His insights are just always fantastic.
Quick time out, Jim and I will wrap things up
on this week's edition of caves HQ after this on
the Medical Mutual Cavaliers Audio Verse. That's gonna do it
(37:48):
for this week's edition of Cavs HQ presented by Betway
Great big thank you to Chris Fiedor for paying us
a visit, thanks to the Dynamic duo on the other
side of the window, Senior producer Kurt Gloughlin, Technical director
Marty Allen, Jim Jones, big thank you to you, biggest
thanks to you the listeners. Hope you enjoyed it. Jim
and I back again tomorrow night Cavs and Knicks seven
(38:10):
point thirty tip which means seven o'clock with the Huntington
Tip Off show on the Medical Mutual Cavaliers audio verse.
So until then, tim Elcorn saying thanks for listening and
so long everybody,
Welcome to Calves HQ presented by Betway. Thank you for
joining us on the Medical Mutual Cavaliers Audio Verse. Here
are your hosts, Tim Alcorn and Jim Jones.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
From the Cavaliers production studios at Rock and Mortgage Field
House in downtown Cleveland. Hi again, everybody, and welcome back
another edition of caves HQ presented by Betway. Great to
have you with us on this Monday night. Cavaliers three
games in opened up the year with a win over
Brooklyn and then two tough home losses over the weekend
(00:44):
OKC in Indiana and a busy week ahead back to
back with the Knicks Tuesday night here, Wednesday night there,
and then we'll go from New York to Indiana Friday
night the first in season tournament game as the Calves
and the Pacers, we'll play in an nd season tournament contest. Jim,
We've got a fun show upcoming. I know you're really
(01:05):
excited about this Max Strus Evan Mobley combination that seems
to be developing. And then later in the show we'll
be joined by the terrific Chris Fiedor.
Speaker 3 (01:15):
Yeah, there's a lot of stuff I always like to
pick Chris's head and just to see where he's at
as far as what we're doing as a Cavalier team.
But I'm really excited about Mobli and Strus, but especially
Mobili because by picking up the pace, we're able to
see what he can do. And let me tell you
something about pace. You know a lot of times, boy,
(01:36):
you got to get in the pace of the game.
That's not necessarily true. You can create the pace of
the game the best suits your style of play. What
we're seeing is Mobley taking that next step because he's
playing faster and he's playing more ninety by fifty rather
than playing a lot of half court basketball.
Speaker 2 (01:53):
Great stuff from Jim. So we'll take a quick time out.
When we come back, Jim and I will delve into
this Max Evan Mobley combo. Stay with Us. CAP's HQ,
presented by bet Wait continues after this, I'm the Medical
Mutual Cavaliers audio verse. The screws left of the lane,
(02:14):
bounced them boldly up good off the glass. That's the
combination to Bodley comes around on Strews screen and buggled
at home. Here comes Truce to the fore court, hands
off Bobley with the left hand a south postmash by
Evan Baulbley Bye Goodness, one O nine, one O seven.
Speaker 4 (02:36):
You think you found someone to play with?
Speaker 5 (02:38):
I mean, there're two intelligence basketball players who understand the
game at a high level. They know how to break
down defenses, and they know how to make the right read.
And you know, more and more they play together, the
better it's just going to continue to get. But there's
such a threat, right like Max is such a threat
coming off to shoot. And I think one of the
things that you know, people have underestimated is is playmaking
(02:59):
a bill. He has the ability to throw those lobs
or make the little pocket pass, you know, depending on
what the big guy does defensively. So I think the
two of them together, they're gonna be hard reguarded.
Speaker 2 (03:11):
Talking back Kevin's HQ presented by Betway, a little highlight
montage there of that Struce MOBILEI combo, and then JB's
thoughts on how they're coming together and Jim Jones, You've
been talking about that the past couple of broadcasts, that
these two and it's still early, but they really seem
to be developing some chemistry.
Speaker 3 (03:31):
Yeah, And the chemistry is based on reading the defense
and making the proper decisions. But it also has to
do with your skill set. Each player has to understand
what the other can do and can't do. And this
is proof of it. What it's done for Mobili is
that Strus runs the floor. So if Mobli wants to
be in the action and he's looking for Struce to
(03:53):
feed him, he has to run the floor. And I've
always said this that if a big runs the floor,
to get caught down low with small players and you'll
have a matchup advantage. And that's exactly what Mobley's done.
He runs the floor, Max runs, he runs, so that
gives us a bigger threat in transitioning early in the clock.
(04:14):
And then that two man action that they work with
either one guy handing off to the other or the
little pocket pass. All of that's working and teams are
scouting that and now they said, oh my goodness, we
know that LeVert can play with any of the starting five,
especially the backcourt. Now we got to worry about Struce
and Mobley. They seem to have a chemistry. All of
that works as far as your offense, and the Cavs
(04:36):
are gonna need that, especially in the second half of
the season.
Speaker 2 (04:39):
Well, here's Max Strew's talking about playing with Evan Mobley.
Speaker 6 (04:43):
It's getting a lot better. I think we're getting more
comfortable with each other. I think there's so much we
can do together putting ourselves in those situations. And you know,
we've played against two tough bigs that have played well
and then drop coverage, So I think it can only
get better. You know, we're watching film together every single
day and getting with each other and just trying to
read each other better.
Speaker 2 (05:02):
And the other part of that tandem. Evan Mobley says,
no doubt, So he's building some chemistry with Max Drews.
Speaker 7 (05:08):
Great opportunity for us to keep building that, especially this game,
for like, me and Max had a really step in
because the lossa that we had from all the other players.
But I feel like as a whole, we played pretty well,
built a lot of chemistry, and we're just gonna keep
getting better from that.
Speaker 2 (05:28):
Jim, one of the things that you've alluded to, and
obviously we've read about it is bam at a bios
connection with Max Druce down in Miami and how they're
trying to translate that to Evan now working with Max
here in Cleveland.
Speaker 3 (05:43):
Well, it's old school stuff. You know, anytime that you're
a starter, you always gravitate towards the guys that will
give you the ball or that you can give the
ball too. We have a lot of different combinations on
the floor that work for us, and probably the number
one guy who's been who's been really good at that,
has been LeVert. He has the ability to play with
(06:04):
everybody in that starting lineup, and that's unique because not
everybody can play with everybody and make the right decisions
with everybody. But now you've got Evan Mobley's Max Strew's threat,
and that puts so much pressure on the opposition's defense,
especially if that big can run because what he's done
Tim if you've listened and watched the last three games faithful,
(06:27):
what you're seeing is him cleaning stuff up and put
backs early in the clock because he's running the floor
and there's more opportunities to score, and he can use
his length and get to the rim and dunk it
back in or lay it back up. All of that
works for us. You see a lot of times biggs
get into this thing where they're waiting for somebody to
(06:48):
give them the balls. They could do their thing Now
there's another level of basketball called creation and hustle points,
and that's what Mobley's doing now. Early in the clock.
He's running the floor because he knows that he'll be
rewarded by Max if he can get himself down the floor.
But if he does it, he's been there to get
the second shot opportunities and the putbacks. If he can
(07:10):
get six to eight points a game just on those
transition hustle things, then they don't have to keep looking. Okay,
I got to get v and the ball because he
hadn't had many touches. He has to get to the
point where he can create his own touches, and he's
doing that right now.
Speaker 2 (07:25):
Well, they're getting to learn each other and know each
other out there on the floor, and Max Shrews talks
about what he's learned about playing with Mobley.
Speaker 6 (07:34):
I mean, you don't really get to know people when
you play against him. And I think the one thing
I've noticed about him is his IQ. I think he's
just he sees the game so well and understands it.
He's a heck of a passer and he's just you know,
he's a really smart high IQ player that you know
is making me better as well.
Speaker 2 (07:51):
And Evan echoes that saying, listen, Max Drews and I
are really starting to read each other.
Speaker 7 (07:55):
Well, timing and just reading the defense. Just the big
over towards Max hit me. If not, keep going until
he rotates over. If not, laid in. So it's just reading, read,
and reacting. I thought we prayed a pretty good basketball with.
Speaker 2 (08:11):
That boy, Jim. If they look this comfortable early on
and there's a long season ahead, how good can this
duo become?
Speaker 3 (08:19):
Well, I think that there are a couple of duels
that are exceptional. If you look at Jokich and Murray,
you can also look at Curry and Draymont. You know,
there's situations where those guys become main stakes. Those guys
are able to get Murray, Jokiche or Curry six to
eight points a game just by the two man action,
(08:41):
reading the defense and making the proper decisions. All of
that's basketball. All of that is just another level of playing.
The thing that I'm so excited about is that JB's
picking up the pace early in the clock, which allowed
Mobley to be more athletic. He doesn't have to clawed
up and down the floor like a yok whether they
wait for him in half court sets. You know he
(09:02):
can be a thread early in the clock because of
his length and his mobility, because they're pushing and trying
to score early in the clock.
Speaker 4 (09:09):
Tim.
Speaker 3 (09:10):
All of that is how you get to where you
need to be. But what it's done for Mobili, it's
allowed us to see more of what he can do,
and he can do a lot more.
Speaker 2 (09:19):
Like great stuff. Jim Jones talking about that Struce MOBILEI
combo that seems to be coming together early on for
the Cavaliers. Well, speaking of Max Struce, he's been impressive
so far through the three games. He's been a Cleveland
cav Jim and I on media Day had a chance
to chat with Max Streus. We'll bring you that conversation
after this. Cavs HQ presented by Betway follows this time
(09:42):
out on the Medical Mutual Cavaliers audio Verse out front
strews three ball on the way Streuce has eighteen points
on six bombs. Tim, it was that extra pad Johnavan
with the steel right side quit three match, got Bob
right side strews three ball is up. He's got another
(10:05):
one and he moves.
Speaker 3 (10:07):
So well without it. Jad talks about it in training. Tim,
the guy is always in motion.
Speaker 2 (10:12):
Tim, you're experiencing Calves h Q on the Medical Mutual
Cavaliers audiovers.
Speaker 1 (10:18):
Once again, here's Tim Alcorn and Jim Jones.
Speaker 2 (10:21):
Cavs fans have been experiencing Max Struce in his first
three games as a Cavalier, and boy he has been
fun to watch. Back on media Day, Jim Jones and
I had a chance to chat with Max Strus and
Jim Jones got things started with the new Cavalier.
Speaker 3 (10:37):
Max. I want to thank you for being available. Timing
is everything, you know what I'm saying absolutely, you know.
I know you enjoyed playing Miami Heat because of the culture,
and you had had big ears for Jimmy, but he's
a Marquette man and so am I. But the point
is is that we're looking for someone to make that
(10:57):
short corner three. I think it's that simple, don't you
At some point when you have that dominant backcourt.
Speaker 6 (11:02):
Yeah, all I'm here to do is provide spacing for
for Darius and Donovan to get downhill. So create spacing
knocked out open threes. It seems easy. It's a tough job,
as you know. Sweets knocking down the threes. But I'm
here to do that and that's my job. I'm gonna
do that to the best of my ability.
Speaker 2 (11:19):
Max, your journey to this point has been amazing. To
get to the Cavaliers undrafted. A couple of teams talk
about the work and the effort that you've put in
to now get that big contract and get the role
with Miami and now the Cavaliers.
Speaker 4 (11:35):
Yeah.
Speaker 6 (11:35):
No, it's took a lot of you know, getting through adversity,
a lot of hard work. But that's nothing new to me.
You know, That's all I've done in my career to
get to where I am, going from Division two to
Division one to undrafted, to tear my acl to you know,
working my way back into the league, and then you know,
finally to where I am now, and you know that
(11:57):
the work's not gonna stop. I got you know, I
got a great contract. I'm very happy for it. I'm great.
I'm grateful to be here in Cleveland. But my ability
to shoot the ball is because of the work I
put in and the talent that I have in doing that.
And that's just who I am and what I'm about.
So it's going to keep continuing to do that and
you know, hopefully make the team better off for it.
Speaker 3 (12:19):
Tell me if I'm wrong. Your mother played.
Speaker 6 (12:22):
My mom played basketball and volleyball at the Paul Big Rivals.
Speaker 4 (12:29):
I am, I am. I'm from the South side of Chicago.
Speaker 3 (12:31):
Yeah, so you've played in open gyms and played that
Chicago fast.
Speaker 4 (12:36):
Oh yeah, yeah, exactly.
Speaker 3 (12:38):
Well, after you've had a chance to play with these guys,
what do you see for this team in relationship to
the Heat team that.
Speaker 6 (12:45):
You that you left. Yeah, you know, we got so
much talent, so much talent. It's just about what we
can do with it. You know, we got a lot
of young guys who've experienced winning, but not at the
highest level. And you know, I'm grateful to you know,
have an Eastern Conference championship I belt, you know, two
years in a row making it there and then last
year making it the finals but coming up short. So
(13:06):
any experience, any knowledge that I gained from those you know,
opportunities that I had, I'm willing to give back to
this team and hopefully, you know, help us get there.
So you know, we have the talent to do it.
It's just about putting the pieces together. And we got
great guys, really good dudes that you know, enjoy each other.
And that's a huge part of it, is liking to
play with each other and learning to play with each
(13:26):
other and then everything else to take care of itself.
Speaker 2 (13:28):
Max, could you talk about that mentality that mindset to
get to an Eastern Conference finals, to get to an
NBA finals. So many guys on this team are so
young and having been through those wars, what do you
hope to impart on them about what it takes to
get to that next level.
Speaker 4 (13:47):
It's hard. It's hard. There's no script to get there.
Speaker 6 (13:55):
You know, you just got to learn to deal with
adversity in the right ways and and how you bounce back,
you know, when you get punched down. So I've learned
a lot of things during these past two playoff runs
and you know, just the ability to, you know, if
you lose a game, take it one game at a time,
and you know it's the first four in every series.
So just getting there and and trying to take it
(14:17):
one game at a time and and and really treating
each game like as a championship is what you have
to do. And uh, you know, it's a it's a
tough mentality.
Speaker 2 (14:24):
To have.
Speaker 6 (14:25):
But as long as you could say mentally strong through
it all, your your team will you know, should come
out in the end, because that's what that's what we
did in Miami, and you know it was it was
an unbelievable experience.
Speaker 3 (14:34):
Let's talk a little bit about the game. JB mentioned
something and it was called spacing an opportunity. Are you
familiar with that term? Does that mean that you shoot
early in the clock or you take advantage of what
does that mean?
Speaker 4 (14:46):
Yeah?
Speaker 6 (14:47):
I mean I think we're gonna play fast and you know,
space to floor. We got a lot of guys, like
I said, that are talented and can get downhill and
can shoot. You know, not only can it can Donovan
and Darius get downhill and get to the rim, but
they're also terrific shooters. So the ability to have guys
like that on the floor to create the spacing and
(15:07):
then create opportunities for each other, I think that's that's
the huge thing that Jab has been preaching. And you know,
we got a guy, got a lot of guys and
just the ability to play free, but play free within
reason to get to get the right shots and take
the right shots is something you.
Speaker 4 (15:20):
Know, we'll learn next.
Speaker 2 (15:22):
Personnel wise, what really excites you about this Cavalier team?
Speaker 4 (15:26):
Our depth.
Speaker 6 (15:28):
I think Kobe did a great job this summer. You know,
I say that selfishly and I'm bringing me here, but
I think brilliant move. I think the ability to have
George Nyang, you know, another guy that can knock down
shouts off the bench. You know, a guy like Tied
Jerome that can you know, come in and and and
(15:49):
you know, be a point guard and and you know,
kind of lead the direction and you know, lead the
guys in charge. And I just think it's it's been
a you know, a big off season for us that
I think can help us in a lot of ways.
And not saying anything about the guys that have been here,
because they've won at a very high level, but it's
just how can we take that next step? And I
(16:10):
think we got the right pieces and the right depth
to do it. Just all about putting it together. And
you know, we're gonna we're gonna put in the time
and effort this season to do that.
Speaker 2 (16:18):
Great conversation with Max s Drew's held that on media Day,
and of course Max has been terrific through three games
with the Calves. We'll take a time out. We've got
a lot more to come. Calves HQ, presented by Betway,
continues after this on the Medical Mutual Cavaliers Audio Verse.
Speaker 8 (16:41):
In support of Ohio's Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the Cleveland
Cavaliers once again partnered with Cleveland Clinic on Breast Cancer
Awareness Night this past Saturday night. During the Pacers game,
the Calves educated fans on how to join in on
the fight against breast cancer and support various Northeast Ohio
nonprofits that prove support care and resources in the community.
(17:03):
Additional special moments included honoring two time fighter Emily Myers
as that night's stiff maker of the game. Team members
and their family and friends joined together to form a
human pink ribbon on the court. Calves in the Community
is brought to you by Discount Drug mart. We'll be
back with the second half of Calves HQ, presented by Betway.
Right after this on the Cavaliers Audio.
Speaker 9 (17:26):
Vers ice Box at the Morley Runner Lane, Evan in
middle Age put it up, star around the rim and.
Speaker 3 (17:37):
D was that a turnaround?
Speaker 2 (17:38):
Joppa Sweet hands off Scruce three ball Peace got another one.
Max Screw's on fire, Welcome to the Cavaliers Number one
Mitchell ouse Brunt on loads of three ball, Ballsye Bullseye,
Donovan Mitchell, Mitchell on loads of bomb and where it
(18:00):
Cavaliers up one fourteen one thirteen and we welcome you back,
Cavs HQ. It's presented by bethway All along the Medical
Mutual Cavaliers audio Verse, Tim Elcorn, Jim Jones. Great big
thank you to the Dynamic duo on the other side
of the window, Senior producer Kurt McLoughlin, Technical director Marty Allen.
(18:22):
Nice little highlight montage there, and of course that three
wall from Donovan Mitchell to close it out. That was
the game winner when the Cavaliers opened up the season
in Brooklyn. Of course, since then, a couple of tough
home losses Friday night to Oklahoma City and then Saturday
night to the Indiana Pacers. And just like Jim and I,
(18:43):
a guy that has been there for all three of
those games and really watched closely and did great reporting
on all three of those as he always does, Chris
Fiedor from Cleveland dot Com stops by to pay us
a visit. Chris has always great to have you on
Cavs HQ always a pleasure.
Speaker 4 (18:59):
My guys.
Speaker 2 (19:00):
Well, it's a small sample size, and obviously we really
haven't had that full roster even go yet. But what
have you seen so far three games? Taking that into account,
that's caught your attention.
Speaker 10 (19:12):
I think the thing that stands out to me, guys,
and you're right, they've used three different starting lineups in
the first three games, so we don't have a full
picture of what this is all going to look like.
The numbers are obviously skewed by the fact that many
important players have been missing, including Jared Allen, who has
been shut down sixth October seventh. But I think the
(19:33):
thing that stands out to me is that there is
a clear commitment from top on down to make this
offense more explosive and make this offense something more than
what it was last year during the regular season and
of course in the seven game series against the Knicks,
when the Cavs lost that series four games to one
(19:53):
and led for forty nine total minutes because they couldn't
consistently score the ball, because they couldn't consistently get quality
looks at the offensive end. So it seems to me
that the Calves are making a commitment that if their
defense is going to take a slight step back, just
a slight step back for positive big gains on the
(20:13):
offensive end. That's something that they're willing to do. And
we've seen that in the first three games last year,
the Cavs guys played at the slowest pace in the
entire NBA. This year, so far through three games, they're
tied for thirteen. So they're playing faster, they're pushing on
misses and makes, they're getting into their offense quicker, they're
(20:35):
making quicker decisions once they do get into the half
court and I think all of that in the long
term is going to benefit them greatly.
Speaker 3 (20:44):
Yeah, Chris, you're all over it as usual. You know,
one time people have been asking me what chulenges they're
picking up the pace, what does it do to our defense? Well,
when you pick up the pace, especially with early opportunities,
and then you settle into your half court sets, what
happens is that since the game is faster, you give
the opposition more opportunities to score. And you're all over
(21:07):
when you said the defense may give up a few
more points, but we're looking past that. I mean, think
about it. The teams that we've beaten with that fifty
one to thirty one record are basically the teams that
we're supposed to be. Do you see us getting to
the next level? Is there anything that you've seen in
training camp that would have you to believe that we
can take that next step and start beating some of
(21:29):
them upper echelon teams consistently.
Speaker 10 (21:32):
So that's the thing, guys, I think that's the way
that I've put it as well. We know that the
Cavs are good. We've seen them. We've seen them go
from forty four wins in a play in tournament appearance
to fifty one wins and playoffs four seed in the
Eastern Conference. Going from good to great is much more difficult.
(21:53):
In the NBA, it's a lot easier to go from
bad to good. You just stockpile a bunch of picks.
You hope that those hits. You make some moves in
free agency and trades, you establish a culture, and then
you would think organically, if you do things the right way,
you start to rise. But going from good to great
and getting into the tier with Boston and Milwaukee in
(22:14):
the Eastern Conference, that's a tougher step for the Calves.
I do think though, that they're better equipped to win
a playoff series, and it's hard to project, Hey, the
Calves are going to go to the Eastern Conference Finals
or the Calves have a legitimate chance to represent the
Eastern Conference in the NBA Finals, because the playoffs are
so much about matchups. You saw that last year against
(22:36):
the Knicks. A lot of the strength of the Knicks
were the weaknesses of the Calves and that was a
really bad matchup and that showed itself in those five games.
But I think they're better equipped to advance further in
the playoffs because of the style that they're playing offensively,
because of their ability to create easier looks on the
offensive end, because of the diversification of their offense. Last year,
(23:00):
they were one of the most pick and roll heavy
teams in the entire NBA and that was very, very predictable,
and they did that for a reason. Donovan and Darius
are great pick and roll players. Evan Mobley and Jared
Allen are great pick and roll bigs, and that was
their best path to offense. But diversifying that getting some
off ball movement with Max Struce running some offense at
(23:20):
the elbow in the post through Evan Mobley and Jared Allen.
That's going to make it more difficult for defenses to
load up on Darius and Donovan the way that the
Knicks did. And they have more shooting, they have more spacing. JB.
Bickerstaff has more lineup flexibility and lineup options at his disposal.
So I do think they're equipped based on the personnel
(23:41):
changes that they made this offseason to advance further in
the playoffs. But I still believe that Milwaukee and Boston
are just not a completely different tier from a talent perspective.
Speaker 2 (23:53):
A great point again, Chris Fiedor our guests from Cleveland
dot com boy, I hope you, like thousands of others,
are following Chris on Twitter. He does a magnificent job. Heck,
you may recognize his voice. He does a lot of
media here in Cleveland, as he should. Covers the calves
in just an outstanding way. Chris, Jim and I in
the first half of the show, we were talking about
(24:15):
the Max Druce, Evan Mobley combo and Jim really sees
that coming just in three games. I know you've written
about it, but from your perspective, dive a little deeper
into what you see developing with Max and Evan.
Speaker 10 (24:30):
Yeah, I mean a big part of it is they've
got to have the confidence in Evan right to be
a playmaker, to be an initiator, to make the decisions
at the elbow in the post the way that the
Miami Heat have him Bolden bam Adebayo to do that.
And that's part of Evan's evolution, I would say.
Speaker 2 (24:47):
But he's got that.
Speaker 10 (24:48):
Playmaking skill set, he's got that passing skill set. And
you know, early on in training camp, Max Druce and
Evan Mobley, we're talking about the possibility of creating a
two man game similar to what Miami has with Streuce
and I to Bio in the last couple of years.
And Max actually had the video department pull some clips
of him and bam together so that Evan could watch those.
(25:10):
Evan had to be open to it. He was open
to it. He was willing to break those down to
see where Max likes the ball, the footwork that he
needs on those specific sets, the opportunities that it created
for Miami's offense in the past.
Speaker 2 (25:26):
So it is.
Speaker 10 (25:27):
Something that I think can help unlock Evan and unlock
a bit of the Cavs offense. And it all goes back,
guys to the personnel change. Like the Cavs didn't have
somebody with the skill set of Max Struce last year,
so they couldn't run those kinds of things, right, They
couldn't run off ball dho similar to what Miami did
with Bam and Struce. But because Streuce is here, because
(25:49):
he has that skill set, and because the Cavs believe
that Evan has some of that skill set as well,
they are able to run that two man action and.
Speaker 2 (25:58):
It was lethal.
Speaker 10 (25:59):
I mean, the Cavs didn't win the game, obviously, but
Max and Evan both played really really well against the
Pacers and it gave them more of a fighting chance
on the offensive end. And I just think it's going
to take pressure off of Darius and Donovan so that
they don't have to do everything. And I think the
defense is going to have its hands full in like
a pick your poison conundrum on a nightly basis, because
(26:23):
that two man game can be so effective and it
can just be another pathway to the Calves getting consistent
offense away from the pick and roll stuff that they run.
Speaker 2 (26:32):
Great insights Chris Fiedor, our guest on Calves HQ presented
by Betway. We'll sneak in a time out, but we've
got more from Chris, so stay with us. Cavs HQ
presented by Betway on the Medical Mutual Cavaliers audiovers will
continue right after this. Got it out front slivert three
(26:53):
ball is up.
Speaker 3 (26:55):
Publicabopa betsim bet Opa, bet is hot.
Speaker 2 (26:59):
Right now, outcomes run of the circle. One of the
lady drives it scores tew about the start for the
young guy from Pickering, Tim, He's sostoppable right now. Jim
Evan fires it to lavernon. His hand is sizzling right now.
Lavert around a Boldley screen. Three ball up, godhead a
fowl the Ted Kennedy better for Terris Laverton. That was
(27:24):
exciting Saturday night. What a first quarter for Karis Lavert
when he poured in twenty two points in that first
period against the Indiana Pacers. That was fun to call.
Welcome back cavs HQ presented by Betway on the Medical
Mutual Cavaliers Audio Verse. We're joined by Chris Fiedor from
Cleveland dot Com. Yours truly, Tim Elcorn along with Jim Jones,
(27:47):
Jimmy want to get things rolling here?
Speaker 3 (27:48):
With Chris Chris, I was just thinking, you know, if
you really think about it, how many teams could lose
two All Stars to start the season and a key
part of your bitch talking about the young guy Tie Jerome.
You lose three of your players, Donovan and then Darius
gone and still win. So when those guys come back,
what do we have to look forward to? I know
(28:09):
we'll have a bench because they're getting tremendous amount of
minutes right now. Talk a little bit about that and
your thoughts.
Speaker 10 (28:16):
Yeah, there's certainly that. And I'm also just really fascinated,
guys to see how the starting lineup is going to
function all together, because you know, last year the Cavs
used a bunch of different options at small forward. It
started with Karris Lavert. He won the training camp battle.
Then they went to Lamar Stevens after a brutal loss
(28:37):
against the Milwaukee Bucks, a game in which they met
together as a team and they had like a little
soul searching session and they had a heart to heart
in that locker room. Then they came back with Lamar
Stevens because they needed his toughness, his energy, his vocal
leadership on the court, and then eventually Isaacacorup became the
starting small forward. So this is Max's job. He is
(28:58):
the starting small forward. He's the guy that Cavs went
out in the offseason and they targeted. They said, Max
Strus is our number one target in free agency. We
believe that he can bring the starting five all together
and raise that ceiling in a way that Krislover can't,
in a way that Isaac Gacoro can, in a way
that Lamar Stevens or Jeti Offsman can't. So I'm fascinated
(29:20):
to see how that's going to function together. And then, yeah,
you're right. I mean, the bench should be deeper, the
bench should have more playable bodies. JB has to trust
Ti Jerome to run that second unit. It remains to
be seen if he's going to do that. But at
the very least because of the moves that they made
(29:40):
this offseason, guys, I just feel like last year, so
many of the decisions that jv vickerstaff had to make
as a coach were either or propositions. Either I'm going
to go defense heavy or I'm going to go offense. Heavy,
and he was giving up one of the other with
every decision he made. Lamar Stevens don't have enough offense,
(30:01):
Jeddi Osman don't have enough defense, right, and you just
go down the list. Now, I think there are more
two way players on that bench. That gives JB better options,
more lineup versatility. They can play for shooters or they
can play big right, And I just think that's going
to manifest itself as the season goes on. Not something
(30:23):
that we've seen yet, but I think as the season
goes on, you're going to feel that and you're going
to see that.
Speaker 2 (30:28):
Chris, none of us have a crystal ball, but we
still try to look into one once in a while.
So as you look into it, what happens or what
do you foresee happening when Jarrett returns, How will that
tweak or alter things on both ends of the floor.
Really well, I think they're going to.
Speaker 10 (30:46):
Rise defensively because I think the beauty of what the
Cavs do on the defensive end is protect the paint.
And the reason why they are such a great team
when it comes to that and protecting the rim is
because they have two elite rim protectors like there are
a lot of teams around the NBA guys that have
an elite rim protector, But the cav have two two
(31:08):
guys in the conversation for Defensive Player of the Year
every year, two guys in the conversation for the NBA
all defensive teams, and that is what makes them unique.
That protects Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell and Max Trups on
the perimeter. So I think when Jarrett comes back, you're
going to see the Calves get back to something closer
to the defense that we saw last year when they
(31:30):
had the number one defense in the NBA in the
regular season, and they have the number one defense in
the NBA.
Speaker 2 (31:34):
And the posts as well.
Speaker 10 (31:36):
Jarrett is a big piece of that. Jared and Evans
together big piece of that. But I think the other
thing that you're going to see as the season progresses
is you're going to see Jarrett and Evan split up more.
I think the Calves are going to give Evan more
opportunities to be a center, to expand that part of
(31:56):
his game. Now they are going to be matchups where
this he may be overmatched when playing center, but I
think they want to give him that opportunity and splitting
up Jarrett and Evan more throughout the course of a
game allows the Calves to play more spacing, more shooting
on the offensive end of the floor if they feel
(32:17):
like they're not giving up as much defensively to justify that,
but I think the Calves want to play as many
four shooter lineups as they possibly can this year and
make things easier for them on the offensive end, and
that means staggering the minutes between Jarrett and Evan and
basically having Evan as the de facto center. That's something
(32:39):
that I think we're gonna see when both those guys
are healthy.
Speaker 2 (32:42):
Well, interesting take, Jim.
Speaker 3 (32:44):
Chris, Are they asking us to be more patient because
it's not like starting the season when those guys come back,
But there is going to be a time where they're
going to have to build up a rotation and a chemistry, right,
Oh sure.
Speaker 10 (32:59):
Yeah, there's no no doubt about it. I mean like
it takes time. Stylistically, these guys they didn't play with
a guy like Max Strips last year, right, Stylistically they
didn't play with a guy like George Niang last year,
So it's going to take time to see how those
guys function together with the other pieces. It's going to
(33:21):
take time for those guys to get comfortable trying to
find their particular role, where their shots are going to
come from, how many shots they're going to get on
a nightly basis, where they need to be on the
defensive end of the floor so that they could stay
on a string, Just like Darius and Donovan had to
go through growing pains together because it was two dominant
(33:42):
ball handlers trying to figure it out as they went,
and some of them had to play off the ball
on certain possessions and then other times they were on
the ball in certain possessions. All of those things the
Cavs have to figure out on the fly. And the
other thing, guys is Jamie Bickerstaff has a lot to
figure out, right, He's got to figure out the most
(34:02):
eight reliable guys in his rotation. Can he play ten
on a nightly basis? What if he goes down to eleven?
What if he has to play big versus small? What
if he has to play slow as opposed to fat?
What's their pet set in end of game situations when
they absolutely need to go out and find a bucket?
Who can they go to, what can they go to?
(34:25):
All of those things are going to be different from
last year, you would think, and all of those things
that's part of what the regular season is for, right
You have to find out answers so that you're better
equipped when the real test comes in the postseason. But
the only way that you find out those answers is
you experiment and you try different lineups and different combinations,
(34:46):
see what works, see what doesn't work. And that's going
to be a big part I think of the early
portion of the season for JB and for the Caps.
Speaker 2 (34:55):
Well, great stuff, Chris. Final question before we let you go.
Not only do you keep your your eye in your
ear and your finger on the pulse of the Cavaliers,
but you'll watch the NBA as a whole and again,
small sample size a few games in, but has anything
caught your attention?
Speaker 10 (35:12):
Well, the thing that has caught my attention is just
the impact that it seems like chrisps Porzingis can have
for the Celtics, because that was a big move that
the Celtics made, right, they were changing their style a
little bit. They got rid of heart and soul. Marcus Smart,
somebody who was critical to their ascension to one of
the best teams in the NBA. And I thought one
(35:34):
of the things that the Cavs had on their side
is just like the unknown attached to the Celtics, because
the Bucks and the Celtics have been in the conference finals.
One of those two teams has been in the Eastern
Conference Finals the last seven years. Right, But they also
made significant shakeups in how they looked. Obviously, the Bucks
(35:57):
went out and got a star player and Dame, but
Boston that deal for Perzingis was one where you were like, hmm,
I don't know how that's going to look. I don't
know how that's going to work. They're going to have
to go through growing pains. Did they hurt their depths
on the interior? For Zingis, it's early. Of course, he
(36:18):
looks rejuvenated, and he looks like an ideal fit for
how the Celtics want to go out and play. And
then on top of that, they added Drew Holliday to
take a place with Marcus Smart and do some of
those dirty things that Marcus does and handle some of
those tougher defensive assignments out there on the perimeter. So
(36:38):
they could just look like a step above every other
team in the Eastern Conference except for Milwaukee. Of course,
that's something that coming into the year, there were some
concerns that I had about the Celtics, questions that I
had about the Celtics. But it looks like it's going
to work out, maybe even better than a lot of
(36:58):
people intended, if Porzingis can stay healthy. And of course
that's a big if because he hasn't shown that throughout it.
Speaker 2 (37:05):
It's always been a big if with Chris tops no doubt, boy, Chris,
great stuff. As always when you join us on Cavs HQ,
we really appreciate it. We'll see you tomorrow night at
Rock and Mortgage Field Ows for game one of two
straight against the Knicks, and again I hope to have
you back real soon.
Speaker 3 (37:21):
Thanks Chris, great stuff.
Speaker 10 (37:23):
That one could be spicy.
Speaker 2 (37:27):
Totally agree Chris Vedor, our guest here on Cavs HQ,
presented by Betway Boy. His insights are just always fantastic.
Quick time out, Jim and I will wrap things up
on this week's edition of caves HQ after this on
the Medical Mutual Cavaliers Audio Verse. That's gonna do it
(37:48):
for this week's edition of Cavs HQ presented by Betway
Great big thank you to Chris Fiedor for paying us
a visit, thanks to the Dynamic duo on the other
side of the window, Senior producer Kurt Gloughlin, Technical director
Marty Allen, Jim Jones, big thank you to you, biggest
thanks to you the listeners. Hope you enjoyed it. Jim
and I back again tomorrow night Cavs and Knicks seven
(38:10):
point thirty tip which means seven o'clock with the Huntington
Tip Off show on the Medical Mutual Cavaliers audio verse.
So until then, tim Elcorn saying thanks for listening and
so long everybody,
Hosts And Creators
Tim Alcorn
Jim Chones
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