On today's episode of Locked on Cavs, co-hosts Chris Manning and Evan Dammarell discuss key takeaways from Cleveland's Wednesday night win over the Boston Celtics, the reports that the Toronto Raptors are no longer interested in trading for Andre Drummond, and they then discuss what the team's goals should be for the second half of the season.
After a few embarrassing losses on the road, the Cavaliers were able to get back on track in a 117-110 win over the Boston Celtics. The greatest lesson Cleveland learned was being able to handle adversity head-on, even when they blow a lead, and still hang on to win.
Cavaliers rookie Isaac Okoro has been really impressive defensively from as early as the preseason for Cleveland. But, games like Boston show how far he's come offensively with his posterizing dunk on Jayson Tatum and his clutch free throws down the stretch.
According to New York Times NBA insider Marc Stein, the Cleveland Cavaliers wanted Norman Powell from the Toronto Raptors in an Andre Drummond trade. With how well Powell has been playing as of late, it makes sense for the Raptors to not make him available while trying to acquire Drummond.
The Raptors seemed like Drummond's last gasp for a possible trade destination. We're about a week away from the trade deadline and all signs point to Drummond having his $27.8 million contract bought out by the Cavaliers.
Looking ahead to the rest of the year, Cleveland needs to maintain the mantra that the future is now for the team. That means Kevin Love, like Andre Drummond, needs to either come off the bench or stay home when he's finally healthy again. Larry Nance Jr. is the future for Cleveland at the power forward position, and the Cavaliers need to further integrate him with the team's young core.
For Jarrett Allen, meanwhile, the Cavaliers need to encourage his natural playmaking ability and refine him as a post player as well. This will only unlock Cleveland's offense further and also make Allen more worthy of the extension he's likely about to sign.
When it comes to Dylan Windler Cleveland needs to find a way to get him more easy looks on the perimeter. Coming out of Belmont Windler was considered a three-point assassin. With the Cavaliers, he hasn't gotten proper looks to showcase that ability and in turn, has made his rookie season somewhat disappointing.
Finally, the Cavaliers need to better utilize their player development staff to make sure they can round out their rotation one through fifteen. Teams like the Toronto Raptors and Miami Heat are organizations Cleveland can take examples from in order to do this.
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