Thoughts on the Cavs: Donovan Mitchell, Emoni Bates and More

Welcome back everyone and over the past few weeks, I’ve had some very interesting thoughts in my head regarding the Cleveland Cavaliers, so let’s get started.

STAY OR GO?

About a month ago, one of my best friends messaged me, asking me if I thought Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell is the player the Cavs need to get them to the finals and be their superstar that they need.

I have yet to talk with him in person about this. So, why not talk about how I feel about this in a column.

I’m a big Donovan Mitchell fan. I was very shocked when the news came across Twitter that Cleveland had agreed to trade for the superstar. Yes, I do consider Mitchell a superstar. I have him as a top 20 player and maybe even a top 15. Mitchell is that good to me.

Cleveland went from a team that was fighting for a play-in spot in the East playoffs, to the 4^th seed in the playoff bracket. That wasn’t going to happen if they kept the same team together before they made the trade for Mitchell. What I saw, was a player that is a leader, who’s play speaks for itself. Mitchell is a good shooter, can drive to the rim, can pass, and challenged Cavs forward/center Evan Mobley to step his game up.

Also, Mitchell isn’t afraid to take the big shots in crunch time. Now, I’ll give you that he didn’t play his best in the first-round match-up against the New York Knicks, but as a whole, Mitchell had a great first season in Cleveland.

Here’s the problem. Mitchell signed a 5 year/ $163 million contract with the Utah Jazz back in 2020. Mitchell has two seasons left on his contract before he has a player option. What that means is, if he decides he wants to become a free agent in the summer of 2025, he can leave Cleveland and the Cavs get nothing in return.

If I’m the Cavs this season, I’m finding out, before the trade deadline, if he plans to sign an extension or if he plans to enter free agency. If he plans on entering free-agency, I’m looking to trade him for an impact player and a few picks or a few impact players.

Welcome To Cleveland Emoni Bates

With the 49^th overall pick in this past draft (Second Round), Cleveland selected forward Emoni Bates out of Easter Michigan.

Bates is 6’8 and 170 pounds. Bates was the #1 recruit on the 2021 class. Some have compared him to Suns forward Kevin Durant. Bates started out at the University of Memphis but struggled. He then transferred to Eastern Michigan and that’s when he started showing what he could really do.

Here is where the situation with Bates gets good for him. Cleveland has one major weakness on their roster, and it’s been there for quite some time. Isaac Okoro has been given chance after chance to lock down the small-forward position ever since being drafted 5^th overall in the 2020 NBA draft.

Okoro has the work ethic, energy, toughness, and defense to play, but he also has been very inconsistent with hitting the corner-three pointer. When Cleveland does force the defense to collapse, he’s being left open to hit those shots and has not been able to do that to this point.

This is where Bates comes in. He is a pure shooter and is more athletic than Okoro. Cleveland isn’t in a rebuild mode anymore and they need players that will help them go deeper in the playoffs next season. In this year’s camp, the clear must-see battle will be Emoni Bates vs Isaac Okoro and I’m curious if we see the best Okoro now or not.

HOW MUCH LONGER?

Cleveland received some calls before and during this past NBA draft about the availability of center Jarrett Allen. The Cavs were dismantled in the paint by the Knicks in the first-round of the playoffs despite having Evan Mobley and Allen down low.

Does Cleveland keep this whole group together for one more year and see if they can get out of the first-round? Do they trade Allen for a proven wing player? Or future picks? How about both?

I’m leaning towards letting this group see if they can learn from last year’s playoff experience and grow from it. When Allen is healthy, Cleveland is tough to beat. Injuries will happen, but if he can play close to 72 games this upcoming season and get better from last year, I want to see how far Cleveland can go.

This is a very important season for the Cleveland Cavaliers, any way you look at it.