The Cavaliers Should Keep Their Core Four
There’s been a lot of media attention covering the idea of possible Cleveland Cavaliers trade. But is this the best thing for Cleveland? Here’s a look at their performances this season, a look at the new style of dynasty and why the Cavaliers should keep their core four.
Core four
Although not every member of Cleveland’s core played up to expectations this season, they all still put up overall quality seasons. Garland, having the poorest (and also most unfortunate) season of the group, averaged 18.0 points, 2.7 rebounds and 6.5 assists. He wasn’t scoring 40 and 50 like he has in previous seasons, but he was constantly dealing with and recovering from injury, and should bounce back within the following seasons and continue to improve.
Mitchell posted his second d phenomenal season as a Cavalier. Averaging 26.6 points, 5.1 rebounds and 6.1 assists, Mitchell continues to be the driving force behind this team.
Mobley, having added a three point shot to his game, averaged 15.7 points, 9.4 rebounds and 3.2 assists. Just barely missing out on averaging a double-double, Mobley has improved in each of his seasons in the league.
Finally, Allen did average a double-double with 16.5 points, 10.5 rebounds and 2.7 assists. Allen was this team’s anchor all season, and put up arguably the best numbers of his career. And, with Mitchell recently tweeting his support for Allen, he has the respect of his teammates.
Whether the Cavaliers decide to move one or more of these players, they all had solid seasons in 2023-24. The way the best teams have structured themselves in recent years, though, suggest holding onto everyone could be the best route to take.
New look dynasty
A big deal has been made about how the last six NBA champions have been standalone wins. Or rather, no team has won multiple consecutive Finals since the Warriors with Kevin Durant.
The teams that are currently seen as genuine powerhouses of their conferences are the Boston Celtics and the Denver Nuggets. These are teams that have built their team steadily, rather than by big name hunting. Instead of seeking out all-stars in the off-season they can add to their teams, they search for just the right supporting pieces and build through the draft. Sure the Celtics grabbed Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis who are both all star caliber players, but both were able to read apt their role to fit into Boston’s playstyle.
What’s resulted is two teams that are seen as purely talented, and this could be the direction the NBA is headed. The Cavaliers have an extremely talented core group of players, and just because they’re not reaching their ceiling this season doesn’t mean their ceiling with this group is capped.
This is also still a very young team, Mitchell is the oldest of the group at 27, followed by Allen at 26, then Garland at 24 and Mobley at 23. By NBA standards, these guys are all on the brinks of their primes.
The Cavaliers could very well follow in these teams’ footsteps in regards to these players. They could be traded now, or they could be on the verge of starting to loosen the Celtic’s iron grip on the East.
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Featured photo courtesy of NBA.com
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