The Cleveland Cavaliers didn’t waste a second of the offseason to get the ball rolling and improve the roster.
President of basketball operations Koby Altman talked about adding toughness and physicality to the mix, and the front office did that with the few moves it made.
An unnamed Cavs executive recently gave his honest thoughts about Cleveland’s changes.
“It’s hard being a second apron team, but we think we did well to add some talent,” the executive said, via Spotrac. “Thrilled to bring Sam Merrill back. We value his shooting so much. Lonzo [Ball] is really going to help us. He gives us more size and defense in the backcourt, and his passing will be so great for all of our guys. Larry [Nance Jr.] is going to really help our frontcourt a lot. He can play either big spot, and that’s huge in a rotation with Evan [Mobley] and Jarrett [Allen]. We’re also excited about Tyrese Proctor too. We think he was a tremendous value pick in the second round.”
The Cavs did an outstanding job of evaluating their needs and addressing them.
They could still be in the mix to add a backup big man behind Allen.
In addition to the mentioned players, Nae’Qwan Tomlin has reportedly made a strong impression and could be in line for an expanded role in his second season, as could Jaylon Tyson.
Also, with Ball and Proctor entering the mix, Craig Porter Jr. will have to step up to maintain his spot in the rotation.
That type of friendly competition should bring out the best of those players, and anyone who is not on the same page may be on his way out.
On a negative note, losing Ty Jerome as a free agent was a big blow, although they had to make a choice if they wanted to acquire Ball.
But if Ball stays healthy — which is admittedly a big if — the Cavs could be much better than they were last season, when they had the second-best record in the league.
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