Hey, Cavalier fans and CavFanatics! It’s Austin, checking in from the offseason’s halfway point. What’s happening?
It’s been an incredible summer for the Cavaliers – from the Lottery to the Draft to the signing of some big-time free agents. You can feel the excitement swelling around the city again.
I loved the free agent moves by Chris Grant and the front office. For starters, I love the pick-up of Jarrett Jack.
His experience and his attitude are exactly what we needed. I like the way he plays the game – something that our young backcourt can really look to and lean on. You bring it every night, and you have to play defense; you cannot just trade baskets in this league and win. All the teams that try that don’t make the playoffs.
So I think Jack is going to bring that intensity. And he has a starter’s mentality. He will push those guys every day in practice. You have to compete every day, that’s what I like about him. Both Kyrie and Dion will have to step up – unless they want to be embarrassed. It’s as simple as that. And I love it. Competition makes you stronger, makes your team stronger.
With Earl Clark – what he brings is length and the understanding that Coach Brown demands defense first. So that mentality is already there. But he also has an offensive game – he can shoot the ball and he can run the floor. But his length is really going to make it tough on offensive players.
I like what Earl Clark brings to the team. And playing in L.A. with Kobe, he understands the level of intensity you have to bring every night. And that is very important.
With Clark and Gee both at the small forward, that really improves that position drastically. Because whichever player doesn’t start is going to have the advantage against the second unit. They are both basically frontline guys, and either one makes our second unit that much stronger.
And of course, the Andrew Bynum signing was a major move. If he’s healthy, the frontline – which was maybe our weakest point in the past couple years – will become our strength. And having the big man in the middle puts everybody in their proper positions.
Guys playing in their proper positions is how you establish camaraderie and continuity. If Bynum is healthy, we’ll be in tremendous shape at all three frontcourt positions.
One last point about all three free agent acquisitions … all three cited Mike Brown as a big reason why they wanted to play in Cleveland.
Having a head coach that you’re comfortable with is huge because it makes them relaxed and comfortable – especially when you’re coming to a new franchise. You don’t feel threatened, there are no grey areas. You know what to expect. You’re used to little things: his schedule, his demands, the tone of his voice. It’s major.
They’re comfortable with Mike, and that got them off to a good start. And I think once they truly find out what the organization is about, and the facility that they’ll be practicing in, they’ll be happy and productive.
I’m also pretty excited about some of the guys I watched during Summer League in Vegas.
Dion looks like he’s improved his game. I really want to see him have a better understanding of how to play the game.
You have to see the game in Technicolor instead of black-and-white. That’s what I’d like to see him do. Once he starts to see the game in Technicolor, that will change his whole mindset and he won’t be so frantic.
I was like Dion in my rookie year. You play ‘in a hurry.’ Things will slow down for him as sophomore.
As for Tyler, his whole issue is to be more aggressive in his second year. That’s the whole key for him. He’s a seven-footer with fantastic skills. He just has to use them and not be afraid to use them. But again, that’s a young guy in his rookie year.
But if he wants to survive and thrive in the NBA, he’ll come back with much more aggressiveness. Play the game with aggression. Play the game as if you are the best player on the floor. Don’t play the game like you’re just happy to be out there.
I was also really impressed with this year’s second-round pick, Carrick Felix.
I like him because he ‘plays the game.’ He plays the total game. He’s a defender. He can score. And he lets the game come to him. That’s best way to put it. And he’s a competitor. He can jump out the gym. And I think he’s going to be a big surprise this year. Once he gets past his rookie jitters, he’s going to be OK.
On Tuesday, the Cavs brought in their second first-rounder, Sergey Karasev. I like what I’ve seen of him.
Coach’s sons always seem to get it. They see the game in Technicolor. All the film I’ve seen on him, I like his aggressiveness. He’s a scorer, like I was. But he can already pass the ball better than I did. He runs the floor. And he understands that he has to defend. He’ll need to put on muscle. But he’ll be fine. Defense is a mindset.
I think both he and Carrick have tremendous upsides.
Dion and Tyler are still in Vegas, joining Kyrie at the Team USA mini-camps. That’s an invaluable experience for them, because this is where you do your developing for the next season – during the offseason.
And in Vegas, our guys are playing top-notch ball against top-level competition, and that can only help you going into the next year. You’re going against guys you’re going to see all season. You just can’t beat that experience.
During my offseason, I’ve been working on developing my golf game. I have to pack it all in before the season starts back up. (And it’s right around the corner.)
I’ve been playing a lot, and I have a lot of charity tournaments coming up. That’s out in the burbs, but I’m also going to enjoy downtown Cleveland this summer. It’s really nice down here, and there’s just an energy you can feel. The whole area is different. It’s a good feeling.
There’s a real excitement going on right now. The Tribe, the Browns and, of course, the Cavs. People are re-energized for the Cavaliers. They tell me all the time.
With the new faces, it’s a little bit of a mystery right now. But fans are ready to see the mystery unfold. And so am I.