Bet on continuity paying off for Cavs

Photo by Natalie Turk

Cleveland-

There is no sport that presents the pressure to either win immediately or make wholesale changes the way the NBA does.

Especially since the ‘big three’ and super team era took over the league, continuity and patience are very tough to maintain and often criticized far too quickly.

Win now or break it up has become an all-too real and common occurrence in the modern NBA.

This philosophy, which is mostly pushed by fans and the media, has forced many teams into making rash decisions without giving a core time to grow.

Many of the NBA Champions in recent history went the opposite way and gave their guys time to grow together.

The Boston Celtics had heard the noise about splitting up Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown after every season since 2021, until their 2024 Championship run.

The Denver Nuggets seemed destined to break up their core of Jamal Murray, Nikola Jokic, and Michael Porter Jr. up until they won it all in 2023.

Even the Golden State run of the past decade was a product of the team sticking with their young core 10 years ago.

In recent years, one of the teams that have heard a lot of this type of noise is the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Despite improving drastically each season since LeBron James departed in 2018, the Cavs have spent the better portion of the past two seasons dealing with many critics calling for change.

Luckily for Cavs fans, the front office stuck to their vision.

Instead of upheaving their roster, Cleveland decided to let go of Head Coach J.B. Bickerstaff and bring in Kenny Atkinson to take the reins.

The move has already paid off in spades as the Cavs have raced out to the best record in the NBA and their second-best start in franchise history at 7-0.

They’re dominating on both sides of the ball, ranking second in total offense and fourth in total defense.

The Cavs have an average differential of 14.7 per game, good for third in the NBA.

Similar to the Golden State Warriors a decade ago, it wasn’t a roster overhaul that helped the Cavs take the next step, it’s been an under-the-radar coaching change.

Following the 2013-2014 season, the Warriors were coming off a few solid years with a young core that showed potential but still had question marks.

Golden State could  have easily traded one of their young guards, either Steph Curry or Klay Thompson, in hopes of getting over the hump.

Instead, the Warriors kept their nucleus together and brought in a new Head Coach, Steve Kerr, to replace Mark Jackson.

The Warriors won the NBA Championship in Kerr’s first season and went on to win a total of four Finals since that fateful decision.

Will the Cavs come close to that type of success? Who knows? Do the Cavs look like a legitimate title contender this season and for the foreseeable future? Absolutely.

While the media and fans alike spent the off-season pushing and prodding Cleveland to break up its core, the Cavs did the opposite.

After resigning and locking in superstar Donovan Mitchell long-term, the Cavs doubled and tripled-down on the belief in their core-four.

Cleveland went on to sign budding superstar big man Evan Mobley to a long-tern extension then added a three-year extension for all-star center, Jarrett Allen.

Their entire core-four of Mitchell, Allen, Mobley, and Garland are signed through at least the 2027-2028 season.

It is still very early in the season, but it is the way the Cavs are winning games  that should have fans excited.

With a fluid offense, the same dominant defense from the last few years, Cleveland has blown out most opponents but also showed they could come-from-behind and win a close, playoff-atmosphere game like they did in Milwaukee on Saturday night.

No player on Cleveland is averaging over 30 minutes per game, showing off true depth that not many other teams can replicate.

With reserves like Caris Levert, Sam Merrill, and Ty Jerome, among others, Cleveland legitimately goes ten deep.

Sure, that’ll tighten up in the playoffs, which is when saving players from heavy minutes throughout the season can pay off.

Coming off wins against the New York Knicks Los Angeles Lakers, Orlando Magic, and the Bucks in a 6-day span, the Cavs have put the league on notice.

This team is ready to compete for a title right now, and thanks to patience that we rarely see, should continue to compete together for years to come.