This article outlines how the Cleveland Cavaliers reshaped their franchise thanks to the mastermind in charge of the team.
By: Farell, 12.3
After the departure of hometown hero and the Cleveland legend, Lebron James, at the end of the 2017-2018 season, the Cleveland Cavaliers looked to go into a ‘rebuild’ mode, essentially aiming to temporarily become one of the ‘worst’ teams in the league in the hopes to draft young stars. It may not have been Cleveland’s first time going through this process but there was a difference. This time, they had Koby Altman as the team’s general manager, the person in charge of player transactions and overseeing the team’s finances. At the time, Altman’s appointment seemed to be a risk, but fast forward to 2022 and he has been labelled as the mastermind behind the formation of the current Cleveland Cavaliers squad. So... How did he pull this off?
Luckily for the franchise, the start of 2017 saw the team’s star point guard, Kyrie Irving, get traded to the Boston Celtics. A deal in which, in return, the Cavs received the Brooklyn Net’s 2018 1st round pick (a team that was notorious for being in the lottery at the time).
The 2018 NBA Draft. With the 8th pick, the Cavaliers selected Collin Sexton, a 6’2 explosive combo guard with a consistent mid-range jumper, a shift drive to the basket, and a hard effort on both sides of the court. Sexton had finished his rookie season averaging 16.7 PPG with an above-average, 3-point field goal percentage. After being awarded an NBA All-Rookie 2nd Team nod, Koby Altman was praised for his decision to draft Sexton. Unfortunately, the front office did not view Sexton as their point guard for the future, but instead as their shooting guard- due to his lack of ball handling and playmaking abilities.
After a 19-63 season, the Cavs found themselves with the 5th pick, after falling out of the top 3 odds for obtaining the 1st pick. And with that, they selected Darius Garland, a 6’1 guard from Vanderbilt, who had showcased his quickness, ball handling, elite playmaking abilities, and his smooth jumper throughout high school and the five games he played in college. Taking him with such a high pick raised questions about pairing two undersized guards that had little-to-no defensive attributes together. The Cavs also had the 30th pick of the draft where they selected Kevin Porter Jr., a player labelled as a steal for the team.
Moving onto 2019. Despite it being cut short due to COVID-19, the Cavs were able to end it with a 19-46 record. Darius Garland ended the season averaging a 12.3PPG, with a below-average efficiency. In fact, he was statistically the worst player for the 2019-20 season, which raised further questions about Altman’s decision to draft him. However, on a different note, Porter Jr. arguably was having a better time than Garland- which had fans discussing whether Garland was truly worth the pick.
Again, the Cavs received the 5th pick in the 2020 NBA Draft. The team was the 2nd worst defensive team in the league, so they drafted 6’6 swingman, Isaac Okoro, out of Auburn, who was supposedly the ‘best defensive player’ of the draft. The 2020-21 season showcased lots of highs and lows for the team though a particular high was obtaining Jarrett Allen from the Brooklyn Nets. This was a part of the 4-team trade that headlined with James Harden going from Houston to Brooklyn. Koby Altman was highly praised by fans of the league for essentially getting a defensive and young center for only a ‘bag of chips.’ However, Kevin Porter Jr.’s tenure in Cleveland was short-lived, after a range of events that led to posting suicidal messages on social media, then being charged for weapons charges, and having a full-burst tantrum towards Koby Altman- due to the changing of his locker position. There was also the issue of Porter yelling at Altman about ‘modern-day slavery’.
9 days after the James Harden trade, Kevin Porter was dealt to the Houston Rockets and fans were beginning to turn their backs on GM Koby Altman- as they wanted to see him out of the front office. The Cavs ended the season with a 22-50 record but ended with the 3rd pick in the 2021 NBA Draft after jumping 2 spots.
The 2021-22 season was a turning point for the Cavs team. Firstly, they drafted 7’0 Evan Mobley from USC. Coming into the draft, he was seen as the best ‘big’ available due to his already polished defensive capabilities, his natural playmaking abilities, and touch around the rim. He was essentially the modern day ‘unicorn’ of the league. Secondly, the Cavs made a shock trade to obtain former 7th overall pick and 7-foot Lauri Markkanen from the Chicago Bulls. This saw the team starting an undersized and offensive-orientated backcourt with a tall, defensive-orientated front-court. By the all-star break, the Cavs were 35-23 and 4th in the east, as well as featuring 2 first-time all-stars of Jarrett Allen and Darius Garland, who became a top ten-point guard after proving his doubters wrong. Thirdly, just before the all-star break, the Cavs managed to acquire Caris LeVert from the Indiana Pacers, a lethal scorer to come off the bench.
Despite all this, the season did not end on a high note due to the injuries of star players such as Jarrett Allen, Darius Garland, and Evan Mobley that resulted in them missing out on the playoffs.
In the 2022-23 off-season, the Cleveland Cavaliers made the biggest move of the off-season by trading for 3x all-star and 26-year-old Donovan Mitchell from the Utah Jazz. In return, the Jazz received fan-favorite Collin Sexton, Lauri Markkanen, Ochai Agbaji, three future 1st round picks, and two pick swaps. This trade signifies a change in Cleveland as now, they have a team consisting of three all-stars and promising young stars. With all these accumulated moves, Koby Altman was runner-up for Executive of the Year at the end of the 2021-22 season. However, not all credit should go toward Koby Altman; credit needs to be awarded to head coach J.B. Bickerstaff. Bickerstaff was assigned as the team’s head coach at the start of 2020 and ever since, he has changed and influenced the culture of the team. Typically, with young teams, ego usually gets in the way but under coach Bickerstaff, the team’s mindset has been putting the team as their number one priority. Credit also needs to be given to the bench and the veterans of the squad such as Kevin Love, Cedi Osman, Dean Wade, and Ricky Rubio. A good example of J.B. Bickerstaff’s influence on the team was by convincing Kevin Love to be on board with the team’s mentality.
As of writing, the Cavs sit with a 13-8 into the season and are currently suffering with, once again, injuries to their players. But this still doesn’t change the fact that the Cavs are projected to still have a successful season once the team is healthy again.
Comments