Live Thread: Bucks @ Cavs

Good evening CtB!

The Cavs welcome the surging Milwaukee Bucks to the frozen banks of the Cuyahoga River for a national TV NBA Friday night showcase between two aspiring contenders from the Central Division of the Eastern Conference. For the Bucks, after a horrendous start to the season, they are now arguably the NBA’s hottest team with three nice wins against the Orlando Magic, Atlanta Hawks, and Oklahoma City Thunder for the NBA Cup. For the Bucks it’s an opportunity for revenge because the Cavs have beaten them already twice this season and could possibly take the season series tonight with a win.

For the Cavs, this is a golden opportunity to remind the NBA who’s boss… and there’s rumors that Max Strus could be back for his season debut, though he’s still listed as questionable and every indication has shown the Cavs will not put him on the court until he’s actually ready to go. The timeliness couldn’t be better since Swiss army knife Isaac Okoro has now been hit with the injury bug and is out at least two weeks, maybe longer. The Okoro injury also opens up possible playing time for rookie Jaylen Tyson, who dabbled in some G-League action and dominated to the tune of 21.0 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 5.3 assists per game on 25% usage with only a 11.8% turnover rate according to Basketball Reference. This would be a perfect time to get the rookie some opportunities to gather some experience.

Slop Season Reaction

Recently Sam Amico of Hoops Wire was speculating on the Cavs’ current and future salary cap considerations and possible trade rumors. Let’s start off with the most urgent matter, which is the pending luxury tax penalty if they don’t cut 1.9 million dollars of salary off the roster by the end of the regular season. The easiest route by far for the Cavs to get under that number is cut NBA Champion Tristan Thompson or Sam “I Am” Merrill, both of whom are playing on non-guaranteed deals just over two million dollars this season. Both are difficult cuts for different reasons: for TT it’s just a bad look cutting an important player to the franchise’s history… maybe they find a way to just putting him right on the coaching staff or do some kind of back room deal which is the right thing to do for a franchise champion player.

As for Merrill, it’s impossible to cut him simply because he’s a key rotation player on one of the best value contracts on the roster, which is exactly what you need when you’re a contending team against the luxury tax. Coach Kenny Atkinson giving him consistent minutes this year is partly the reason for the Cavs having one of the best offenses in the NBA this season in spite of him being in a season long shooting slump. There’s also the point of Sam Merrill having some kind of Utah connection with Donovan Mitchell:

So what do the Cavs do? Amico suggested that Caris LeVert or Isaac Okoro could be tradeable assets that might bring in that coveted two way wing player to fill the gap between the core four. It is true that trading these two players now or soon would be selling high on either player. However with the kind of success the Cavs have had, the least disruptive move from a purely roster construction and luxury tax perspective is finding a way to cut/move Tristan Thompson without creating a PR disaster.

If we’re going to consider different, arguably more plugged in source regarding potential trades, we have to go back to the beginning of the season when Chris Fedor surmised that the two guys that could be on the move would be Darius Garland and/or Jarrett Allen, depending on how the early season went under the Atkinson regime. Well, it’s hard to say that the DG and JA haven’t passed with flying colors given the team results… however, it’s clear that the real core tandem of the Cavs’ championship aspirations are Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley. The most urgent question Koby Altman has to answer before the trade deadline: has he surrounded these two with the best supporting talent to make a push for a ring? Stay tuned…

This is why tonight’s game is big from a roster evaluation standpoint… the Cavs will have to handle Giannis Antetokuoumpo and recently returning Khris Middleton at the wing spots (barring injuries). Let’s see how they handle a real championship competitor.

Tip off is scheduled for 7:30PM Eastern time and will be broadcasted live nationally on NBATV and locally on Fanduel Sports Network, Go Cavs!