The Cavs enter the NBA Draft on Thursday night armed with the 5th and 26th picks in the first round, as well as a whole lot of options. Evan Dammarell, who covers the team for Forbes and Fear the Sword, joins the show to discuss the players in the mix for the Wine & Gold, odds of the Cavs trading either (or both) of their picks, and the unique (and very tradeable) contract of JR Smith. Plus: Big happenings around the league, such as the trade that will send Anthony Davis to the Lakers, that could have a trickle-down effect on what the Cavs want to do.
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Baffling coaching decisions, blown defensive assignments, bad shooting and a battered jaw for one LeBron James have left the Cavs halfway to getting swept in the Eastern Conference Finals. With the next two games at The Q, the Wine & Gold aren't completely in dire straits just yet. Still, it’s been ugly so far. The guys discuss Ty Lue’s decision to ride with JR Smith over Kyle Korver in the starting lineup, the struggles of the newer members of the roster, the “organizational fatigue” plaguing everyone who has been around for the long haul, and the weight of trying to fight back in a series knowing what would await in the Finals (and *not* knowing what awaits this summer).
A lot of fans figured the Eastern Conference playoffs would be more challenging for the Cavs this season than in recent years, but few could have predicted a full-fledged fight in the first round. Nevertheless, the Indiana Pacers are giving the Cavs all they can handle through four games. The guys welcome their old pal Mark Meszoros back to the show to discuss the burden LeBron is carrying, Ty Lue’s strange rotations and inexplicable fascination with Jeff Green, the revival of JR Smith—both as a scorer and as a defender on Indiana’s Victor Oladipo—and the challenge of getting Kevin Love going.
From the final numbers on the scoreboard at Quicken Loans Arena on Monday night to the grim anonymous quotes from players in stories published in early Tuesday morning, the consensus is clear: The Cavs, as presently constructed, won’t beat the Warriors. Friend of the show and longtime Cavs fan Nick Carrabine is back on The Nail as the guys discuss what has happened to J.R. Smith, Isaiah Thomas’ fit and whether he’s playable against Golden State, and whether Ty Lue is getting the most out of this Cavs roster. Plus: The Cavs have assets, but in the face of what looks like increasingly long championship odds, is there a deal out there worth gambling on with a summer of uncertainty for the franchise ahead?
Mercifully, the Browns’ season is over, but the interesting times are just getting started. Tom and Travis discuss decisions made—John Dorsey replacing Sashi Brown, transitioning from collecting assets to acquiring players, and (against all odds) keeping Hue Jackson—and the decisions to come (read: “quarterback, quarterback and quarterback”). As the Browns sort through their issues, there’s one other decision that’s easy for the guys: Neither of them would be caught dead at this weekend’s 0-16 parade. … Plus: Thoughts on the Rose Bowl and the upcoming college football national championship game, Isaiah Thomas’ exciting Cavs debut and what to do with J.R. Smith and Tristan Thompson.
Two nights removed from the end of the Finals, the guys give a spirited send-off to the Cavs’ run as the reigning NBA champions. Topics covered include: the Cavs’ historic offensive performance in Game 4 even with the series likely out of reach, chaotic moments defining the last two games, Golden State needing Kevin Durant more to beat the Cavs than Durant needed Golden State to win a title, and an appreciation for the Cavs’ core over the past three years as we head into a summer of uncertainty.
With an alley-oop off the backboard from Kyrie to LeBron 3 minutes into Game 1, the Cavs were on their way to dismantling the Raptors, and they never relented en route to a decisive and dominant four-game sweep. The guys discuss LeBron’s transcendent play through the first two rounds, the Cavs’ switch officially having been flipped, and what’s ahead after the team’s next lengthy layoff.
The Buckeyes survived a ragged, dramatic game with Michigan and appear to be headed to the College Football Playoff. The guys relive a memorable Saturday afternoon and look ahead to what’s next for Ohio State and potential bowl game matchups. … PLUS: What follows “happily ever after”? The Cavs gave Cleveland a storybook ending in June, and are now settling into life as the defending NBA champions and a golden era in franchise history.
Even with three days off, things are never quiet in The Land. Half-baked “reports” say Kyrie Irving wants out of Cleveland. LeBron is sending ominous tweets and then heading to South Beach to work out with his old pal Dwyane Wade. Our pets’ heads are falling off! (Our pets’ heads are not actually falling off.) The guys try to figure out what to make of this latest nonsense, what has caused this friction to manifest in the Cavs locker room and where things go from here. Maybe this whole episode is actually a Machiavellian scheme by LeBron in his quest to lead this group to the Promised Land? Hmm…
A week after the NBA trade deadline, the guys assess the Cavs’ pair of deals that sent Anderson Varejao out west and brought Channing Frye to Cleveland. How will Frye fit in here? (Early returns are promising! He scored 15 points on Wednesday night vs. the Hornets.) Plus: What’s going on with Shump? And will anyone in the Cavs organization go to bat for JR so he can finally get a call or two this year?
