Koby Altman wisely keeping a lid on expectations for Cavaliers | Jeff Schudel
Oct. 18—Koby Altman is a smart man. Not only did the Cavaliers' President of Basketball Operations put together a roster formidable enough to compete with the powerhouses in the Eastern Conference; he wisely is keeping a lid on expectations.
The Cavaliers open their 2022-23 season on Oct. 19 in Toronto with essentially the same roster that finished 44-38 last season with two major exceptions: Lauri Markkanen was traded to the Utah Jazz as part of the package to acquire 6-foot-1 guard Donovan Mitchell. The Cavs lost 11 inches and more in the transaction, but they added a three-time All-Star to pair with Darius Garland in the backcourt.
"This year is not contention or bust at all," Altman said. "We're still a very young group. We're gaining experience. We played 84 games last year. We most certainly want to play more than 84 this year, but this is a runway we have here.
"We have guys under contract for the foreseeable future. We want to grow and add more playoff experience and build toward something. But we have not seen Darius (Garland) in his prime. What does the internal growth look like for Evan Mobley? Jarrett Allen is 24 years old."
Las Vegas set the over-under for the Cavaliers last season at 27.5. They crashed through that wall on Jan. 22 when they improved to 28-19.
Everything the Cavaliers did last season exceeded expectations. But injuries piled up, and after hitting a high-water mark of 35-21 on Feb. 11, they finished 9-17. They finished eighth in the Eastern Conference standings and then were bounced by the Nets and Hawks in the play-in tournament. They have to finish no lower than sixth to avoid the pressure of being part of the play-in tournament again.
"We've added four new faces. So we have a level of continuity, but we added a really big piece (Mitchell), so that's going to take time," Altman said. "There are going to be some failures there. But this group is really excited to play with each other, and I want to grow this thing over the course of a few seasons before we start talking about (a championship). That being said, we're not going to put a ceiling on what this team can do currently."
Vegas has set the over-under for the Cavaliers this season at 47.5. Five teams in the East are projected to finish ahead of the Cavs — Boston with an over-under of 53.5, Milwaukee (52.5), Philadelphia and Brooklyn (both 50.5) and Miami (48.5).
Now that the Cavaliers have proven they can be successful, it is up to Coach J.B. Bickerstaff to keep his team hungry. He likes to say they didn't accomplish anything last season, even though they doubled their win total of 2020-21, because they didn't even qualify for the playoffs.
"It's about embracing who you are. So those expectations don't bring any added pressure," Bickerstaff said. "We have a talented group of players in that locker room that support each other and want to compete with one another. That's what our focus is on.
"If we do the right things, good things will happen. If we play with the same spirit we played with last year, we defend the same way we defended last year, positive things are going to happen for us. We focus on that."
Bickerstaff has always been a stickler for playing defense. Fair or unfair, Mitchell earned a reputation in his time with the Utah Jazz as being soft defensively. He won't be able to get away with that playing for Bickerstaff, Mitchell's three All-Star appearances notwithstanding.
Bickerstaff started the 2019-20 season as a Cavaliers assistant coach under John Beilein. Beilein was a superb college coach, but he was a disaster in the NBA and resigned midway through his first season.
Bickerstaff took over from Beilein on Feb. 19, 2020. COVID brought the world to a crashing halt in March 2020, so Bickerstaff didn't get to establish his defensive philosophy until training camp in the 2020-21 season.
The Cavaliers finished 25th in defensive efficiency in 2020-21 with a rating of 113.5. The number reflects how many points a team would allow per 100 possessions. The Cavs improved to fifth last season with a defensive rating of 108.9. Bickerstaff wants more from the season ahead.
"We didn't accomplish anything last year," he said, "We improved and got better, but we didn't make the playoffs, so there's no reason for us not to have that same spirit. You don't change who you are because of expectations. Our mentality shouldn't change by any means."
The Cavaliers won't catch anybody by surprise this season. If the four preseason games are an indication of what to expect, opponents are going to try to get physical defending them. Bickerstaff might have to practice his complaining-to-the-officials skills.
