Cavs better scoot

Cleveland doles out the highest payroll in the NBA and it isn't particularly close. Only six teams will pay over $200 million this season, three of them over $210 million (New York, Golden State). Only one team over $220 million, and it is the only team over $230 million: Cleveland's Cavaliers are a full $21 million past the second-place Knicks. That's a whole Naz Reid.

Next season won't help, even given various free agent returns from competitors, the Cavs' $227 million payroll should comfortably rank atop the rest of the NBA. Cleveland also tops the NBA in money guaranteed for 2027-28, nearing $200 million. The Cavs owe nearly $300 million combined in 2027-28 and 2028-29, the Warriors owe $26 million over that term.

It is all chipped in for one. A single championship without LeBron James, preferably while LeBron James still plays NBA basketball. The Cavaliers' ownership owned a dozen chances to do as much since James took his talents elsewhere in 2010, resulting in but 11 playoff game victories and two playoff series wins. All since dealing for Donovan Mitchell, unrepentant superstar.

An undersized shooting guard, late lottery pluck who insisted he was a stud all along, taking on LeBron's mantle and without hesitation. James, a Mack Truck of a young man with a sneaker deal since high school, replaced by the yes, I'm with the team-sized Donovan.

Splashing 27 per game on shots thisclose to being blocked. Mitchell's closest comp is D-Wade, who couldn't win a title without Shaq or LeBron plus big Chris Bosh. Not Wade's fault, just, guards don't win titles by themselves. Certainly not 6-2 guards.

That's why Cleveland went to work, Koby Altman and J.B. Bickerstaff compiled a 44-win team with a top-7 defense in the season before dealing for Donovan ahead of 2022-23. Mitchell was exchanged for draft picks plus Collin Sexton and Lauri Markkanen, and while we're big fans, those two combined for but 72 contests during Cleveland's 2021-22 ascent. Alongside second-year Isaac Okoro, rookie Evan Mobley, and Darius Garland's first fully healthy turn, an All-Star campaign, a (pro-rated) 18-win improvement for Cleveland.

No, this isn't the "bring Okoro back"-column.

Simply a spot to point to Cleveland's gleam, pre-Mitchell. They didn't swap for some Western superstar slumming in the East. Dragging nobodies to the top of the division because it is proven, for four decades, that one man can beat the Nets by himself.

Nah, this is a team. Was a team. Only less of a team because everyone's hurt, now.

Cleveland knows, they watched as ... no, this is not the "one day, many years ago, Mark Price hurt his knee"-column. Not the Daugherty-column, either.

Nothing about Joe Charboneau. The only thing I can say about Cleveland and electric guitar amplifiers is that one time I ran down from press row after a Cavaliers playoff win to ask John Oates (who was sitting courtside), and I quote, "what are you playing through these days?"

"A Dr. Z," Oates told me, looking for some spark of recognition. I had none, never heard of "a Dr. Z." All I could think of was Paul Zimmerman. Then me walking down the driveway with the Sports Illustrated NFL season preview during the first week of school in August and noticing that Dr. Z again picked a random-ass AFC team to represent the conference at the upcoming Super Bowl. This time, the Chargers!

"From Cleveland," Oates added, pointing directly at me. Oates thinks I'm from Cleveland. Dr. Z the amp maker, it turns out, is from Cleveland.

Cleveland knows, is what I'm after. Bring up any of the mitigating defects one can recall from last spring, falling in five to the less-favored Indiana Pacers, fine. The Cavs could roll back before 2025-26 ends, in many ways the team should roll back. If it remains around its current iteration – 15-14, tied for No. 8 – we should have the historical temerity to slough it off as a lost year, nothing else.

Except for the part where they gotta friggin' go, and right now, before Mitchell's tread evaporates.

This was an exceptional offensive team, now it isn't. No. 1 down to No. 11, because Cavaliers are injured.

Not Mitchell, who leads the NBA in total shot attempts and threes and made threes, going nine innings through every loss. But the rest of the guys, the ones nearing retirement: De'Andre Hunter, Lonzo Ball, Dean Wade, Larry Nance Jr., plus Thomas Bryant's please Thomas not right now-appearances in 22 games.

Hunter fell. He gets to the line a little more and stats say he hits more than half of those endless pullup twos, I woulda guessed half of half, maybe I should stop being so Judge Reinhold over things but Hunter looks creaky, and misses 70 percent of his threes. He only turned 28, maybe he's got one more rebound year in him during 2026-27 (at over $24 million), maybe I should stop expecting 60 percent True Shooting from DeAndre Hunter. This will be easier now that he runs like he's afraid of what his knees might say back to him.

Ball might be better once his strength grows but for now it is fair to blame his shyte shooting and lack of wind for his ultimately unproductive minutes so far. Nance Jr. turns 34 on New Year's Day and Wade is 29, I'm not being mean. I'm being a little mean.

Faith was not spun in the incorrect direction, Cavs are trying but Cavs are hurt.

Sometimes players go away for the summer and come back in fall looking completely different. Cleveland fans should be used to this, on account of all those Browns quarterbacks, a new Brown in a red jersey every summer.

Now I'm being very mean. I lived outside Cincinnati for a few years. Move from suburban Chicago to suburban Cincinnati as a youth and not come out a little aggrieved, go ahead.

Now that I've angered all of Ohio, we should bring up the draft picks: Donovan Mitchell hasn't cost Cleveland but 254 career minutes of Liam McNeeley so far.

This will change soon. Utah traded Mitchell for three (2025, 2027, 2029) unprotected first-rounders and two swaps, McNeeley (the Hornet rookie was selected No. 29 last June) the only loss to this point. The Cavs are swapped down again in 2026 and 2028 first-round selections due to dealin' for De'Andre Hunter. Rookies will materialize in even years, but only via picks the Hawks or Jazz or Spurs or Timberwolves already swapped down from.

Like getting to the video rental store at 8 PM on a Friday, all the good picks are gone, even the video games.

Cleveland (14th-best record in the NBA entering Monday) likely pegged itself for its own pick, a selection so high no team would swap for it.

Cleveland had every right to visualize greatness but for expecting Darius Garland's foot not to crumble, again. Or Jarrett Allen's two dunks a night missing for one-third of play thus far. Allen worked 82 games last season but he's already necessitated three separate sits in 2025-26, 18 performances thus far, 34 dunks.

It isn't the same team, Wade isn't shooting like Dean Wade, he isn't scoring like Georges Niang. Hunter ain't himself, Okoro and Max Strus aren't around and Ball hasn't done enough to replace their myriad contributions. The Cavaliers reveled in Hunter's best season in 2024-25, Ty Jerome moving from 11th roster spot to Sixth Man candidate, Caris LeVert making up for Strus' early-season absence.

None of these horses were replaced, spinning more oil through Mitchell's motor. Donovan's best year as a pro, sure, but he was never about numbers, only pushing unexpected teams closer to the top than anticipated. This is the guy who dropped 57 in a playoff game, he'll be the first to tell you his eight-second violation led to an extra six points in the box score, and his team's loss.

He sat with illness on Friday, a hoped-for revenge game against Chicago, yet another Cav defeat. A loss made worse by the prevailing knowledge (the visiting Bulls performed worse than they did in Wednesday's win over Cleveland) that a healthy Donovan Mitchell surely would tip these scales.

The Cavs are only two games up on No. 10 Chicago which is just, embarrassing. Cleveland has to win in Chicago on March 19 simply to even the tiebreaker, gross.

I anger Bulls fans and two different cities in Ohio because I'm angry. The Cavs and Cleveland didn't deserve this, and there is no competent way out of this which does not feature Donovan Mitchell shooting for 30 each night just to keep Cleveland above-average offensively.

He was supposed to rest, at some point, supported by all the Cavs helpers acquired before and after Cleveland shocked the NBA by dealing for Donovan Mitchell. The move was so audacious that even Mitchell – who pined for New York to a top hat and tails degree – was won over. The bold trade, plus the $50 million per-year extension.

This is the point in NBA economics where we have to wonder if the "basketball penalties" levied by the new luxury tax laws own any teeth. Because the Cavs do not care about the apron.

The mandate is to win one without LeBron and, at least for one particular address in Ohio, I applaud Dan Gilbert's civic commitment. I'm assured all the other Ohio addresses with Rocket mortgages are co-signed by Satan hisself, but it is nice that Dan spends on his basketball team.

So, the Cavs could deal Allen or Garland for an expiring contract and picks, but only if picks immediately parlay into veteran help for 29-year old Donovan Mitchell. Life over the second apron impairs a team's ability to stack contracts in a trade, which would be a terrible thing if one is of the opinion that Darius Garland (owed over $126 million this season through 2027-28) needs running off this club.

For who? There are no point guards here, nobody wants Donovan Mitchell forced into a 50 percent Usage Rate. Lonzo Ball is a project, not a daily driver. I understand why Jaylon Tyson is fun, it's because he hasn't passed all season. We cannot have Mitchell and Tyson slinging all season, someone must take pressure off Donovan.

It remains a tough roster to write off, literally, but also due to the weak chin on this wily East. The Cavs routinely stink in the playoffs, but the same sloppy Cavs can also nearly touch the Finals from here.

The Cavs look terrible against most opponents this season, but it can also be the suddenly-healthy rotation which vaults for a dozen playoff wins in spring. Cleveland, the NBA's complete and utter punching bag, is two games outta home court in the first round. It ain't easy healing injuries during the regular season, but it isn't out of the question.

The trouble is the preview issue everyone spotted in the season's first week. Cleveland can't wear out its superstar, can't afford to waste another year, but can't seem to grow healthy.

The best hope is to wait for spring, but the Cavs have had trouble with that recently.

RUDE COACHES AND BAD REFS

These bums.

Refereeing is bad at all pro and college levels because nobody wants those jobs, who wants to be a narc? Most youth referees and umpires also sell drugs, we know this, but the professional ranks are a different story. Better luck scoring with the mascots. Though you gotta sit and watch them play video games for an hour after scoring, pawing at the controller, complaining about mini-trampoline tendinitis.

What Chris Finch pulled on Friday night, sure, go ahead, do more of that. There was no other game on Friday night, Oklahoma City threatening another unremarkable win, we needed that outburst as much as the Timberwolves.

An outburst during a game, though. At work. Shit happens at work. Don't take it past clock out.

Calling out referees by name at the postgame media podium – straight ahead of cellphones connected directly to social media – is bogus, man.

Is a certain ref hounding your team, taking your colors personally? Take it to the league, repeatedly, don't make the rest of the NBA choose sides, and have to remember and identify an actual specific referee. I don't want to know these people. Do not show us your white whale's face, give the beast its name. Do not make impartial fans try to figure out which whiny baby has the greatest right to cry.

This didn't used to happen. Coaches at one time satisfactorily expressed themselves through unexplainable fits of rage, sometimes directed at coherent subject. Not always, sometimes coaches just yelled at whichever ref was closest, regardless of who blew the call. Two refs per night is a lot of names to remember.

Now we have three, so many options to scream, to let loose, to delight the same social media. Public displays of anger are uncool but for the handful of sports people actually wronged by a misstep. Not you, assistants. And be quiet, scrubs.

The head coach? The players? They can show a little ass. Yet players are valuable, head coaches aren't allowed to shoot, so head coaches should let loosest. Anything to quit this growing notion toward shaking postgame podium Twitter thunder from the sky, doling out lightning by number on the back of a striped uniform. For a regular season NBA game.

The dreary implementation of endless replay reviews should only drive home the referees' pity point: NBA games are tough to referee. Prejudice leads to missed whistles, but lack of anticipation also leads to blown calls – when does objective, studied reinforcement turn into an incorrect inclination? It's a jungle out there, Gui Santos and Draymond Green won't stop grabbing uniforms, someone let Johnny Furphy loose, it was hard to tell if Al Horford closed his eyes to express sarcasm or because he fell asleep standing up.

Technicals at night, revoked technical fouls the next morning, cold beer in the middle. Refs are part of this dumb family, and if we want it to get any better we have to stop being crummy to referees when we know better.

This is tough to do with refs – look at the haircut on that one – but necessary if we want these people I mean these humans to want to grow up to call good NBA games without bias or reflex.

PLAYERS AND BAD REFS

Different story. Referees often treat players like they're in school, or worse. Only one thing worse than school.

Refs need to stop treating grown men like children.

And I'll try to stop calling refs "these people."

WE DIDN'T KILL TANKING

It is a great NBA! Competitive, entertaining. Made this way via NBA rule changes from on top – lottery odds scooped, Play-In added.

Almost every team in the West went for it this year, all but the Jazz, and Utah is the good-time surprise of the league's lower ranks. Nearly every team in the East went for it, even those which really shouldn't, only the Wizards and Nets and arguably the Hornets truly kicking the can past 2025-26.

But someone has to lose, and while flattening lottery odds helped quell the urge to fully bottom out, each defeat does truly count. None of these teams are far apart and don't figure to be by spring, nothing a weekend couldn't change (for a franchise's next decade).

The NBA's worst seven teams (Washington, Indiana, Sacramento, New Orleans, L.A., Brooklyn, Charlotte) are all within four wins of each other. And the eighth-worst team (those ultrafun Jazz!) want to finish with many, many more losses to safely keep the team's top-eight protected 2026 first-round pick. Move the other way and you'll discover Brooklyn, "only" the league's sixth-worst record in the season (Brooklyn's 2027 first-rounder is owed to Houston) the Nets really, really need to score a high lottery pick.

The Kings and Pacers did not want to tank, but, like, here they are. The Clippers and Pelicans play here without their picks, every Kawhi Leonard pullup and Trey Murphy III swish adding to the intrigue. Go play Tankathon and see how many times you roll into two ex-Pelican picks (their own 2026 selection, owed to Atlanta, plus the previously-owned Pacers choice) topping the draft.

Nobody but my dog will believe me but I did this after I wrote the previous paragraph. Dropped my pencil, tabbed up Tankathon, saw an anecdote into its truth. Lied about the pencil. There was never a pencil.

Teams are gonna try to lose, and we'll have to remind ourselves that this is a special sport where individuals count.

Major League Baseball tried with its lottery earlier this month, it was hilarious. The upcoming NBA expansion draft will have ten times the ratings, Seattle welcoming Bam Adebayo, Vegas saying "hello" to Jakob Pöltl.

SANTA ROSA

Thank you for reading!

The "watch drug dealer play video games"-joke isn't hack because I put the dealer inside a Sasquatch costume with a Utah Jazz jersey over the top of it.