Here are two words that haven’t appeared in the same sentence for a long time with the verb “are” in between: “Cavaliers” and “exciting.”
The Cavaliers are exciting and fun to watch this season. They are 7-4 and owners of the sixth best record in the NBA East heading into their Nov. 10 game with the Washington Wizards at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. They have a better record than the defending NBA champion Milwaukee Bucks.
Skeptics who have seen the Cavs bottom out after a fast start in the past might be holding back their enthusiasm, but something about this team seems fresher and therefore different, and it all started last season when general manager Koby Altman acquired center Jarrett Allen from the Nets in the three-team trade with the Rockets that saw James Harden shipped from Houston to Brooklyn.
Allen was named the Eastern Conference Player of the Week for the first week of November. He averaged 20.5 points a game over the four-game stretch and an NBA-best 16.3 rebounds. He was first in the NBA averaging five offensive rebounds a game.
Taking
with the third pick in the draft on July 29 was the next major step in the turnaround. Mobley, a 7-footer who is 20 years old, is not in awe of NBA players.
Four days after selecting Mobley, Koby Altman traded forward Taurean Prince, a 2022 second-round pick and cash considerations to the Minnesota Timberwolves for veteran point guard Ricky Rubio.
The Rubio trade was not a headline grabber, but he has had a tremendous impact on the young Cavaliers with his unselfishness and leadership. He is the leader Kevin Love could be but isn’t. Some people just aren’t born to lead. Love is one of them.
“He’s a top-tier point guard. There’s no doubt about it,” Coach J.B. Bickerstaff said.
This is the NBA’s 75th season, yet Rubio became only the sixth player in NBA history to not start and still score at least 35 points while recording 10 assists when he scored 37 and dished out 10 helpers on Nov. 7 in a 126-109 romp over the Knicks at Madison Square Garden.
Rubio played more than 31 minutes in the game with the Knicks. His role became even more vital on Nov. 8 when an MRI revealed starting shooting guard Collin Sexton suffered a torn meniscus in his left knee. Sexton is out indefinitely.
Rubio wanted to talk about Mobley, who scored 26 points, grabbed nine rebounds and had five assists playing a team-most 35 minutes, 36 seconds against the Knicks. He was 11-of-15 from the floor and 2-of-4 on three-pointers.
“He’s special and he will be special,” Rubio told reporters in New York. “We don’t even know how (high) his potential can be.
“First game in the Garden, 20 years old — you have to give him credit,” Rubio said. “He’s really mature for his age. He knows how to play the game the right way. Scoring 26 points in your first game in MSG is hard to do. We’re proud to have a teammate like him. It’s fun.”
The Cavaliers were 9-27 on the road last season when NBA teams played 72 games instead of the normal 82. They are already more than halfway to that road win total at 5-3.
"exciting" - Google News
November 10, 2021 at 03:37AM
https://ift.tt/2YwLyry
‘Exciting’ Cavaliers on a surprising surge | Jeff Schudel - News-Herald.com
"exciting" - Google News
https://ift.tt/2GLT7hy
Shoes Man Tutorial
Pos News Update
Meme Update
Korean Entertainment News
Japan News Update
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "‘Exciting’ Cavaliers on a surprising surge | Jeff Schudel - News-Herald.com"
Post a Comment