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Originally Posted by Déjà Bru
Thanks. I guess 1) how you leave and 2) what you accomplished while you were there make all the difference. Contrast this with Ben Simmons and Philadelphia.
You neglected to mention that, in addition to looking good, the Cavs won a glorious victory over the Lakers, 116-102. The ESPN headline was "Mitchell upstages LeBron at home."
Back in my Knicks fanhood purgatory, I would have been bitter about how Cleveland swooped in to claim Donovan Mitchell, snatching him from the jaws of New York. The Knicks and their fans really thought they were going to get him from the Jazz.
Now, though, I am "Que sera, sera."  |
Well, the way LeBron handled his return to the Cavs was a real masterpiece of public relations. It was one of those "I'll always remember where I was when..." moments. For a couple years during his first go-round in Cle I was working at a bookstore between careers, and LeBron's mom used to come in to buy stuff at the in-store coffee shop. She was not the nicest person in the world. But I guess if I had grown up in grinding poverty and then produced a son who became one of the greatest and richest athletes in the world, I would be a bit arrogant too.
The victory over the Lakers was pretty neat, but I noticed that neither LeBron nor Davis played in the following game in Toronto. Maybe LeBron spent the night after our game at his mansion near Akron, putting Biofreeze all over his body. He always tries to give a special effort when his Lakers play us. I saw that Anthony Davis had to leave the game early with "flu-like symptoms." I hope it was not COVID. My mother died from that disease and I would not wish it upon anyone.
The analysts for our game against the Lakers got some things right and some things wrong. It's true that people here wondered if Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland would "be able to co-exist" because "both of them need the ball." But from the moment Mitchell arrived it was clear that he was only interested in 1) winning, and 2) fitting in so that the team could have more of item 1. He and Garland can both "create their own shot," but each is very willing to pass to the other and to their teammates. When one is hot, the other defers to him as far as shooting is concerned. There has never been any hint of ball-hogging--quite unlike the situation when LeBron was here.
Ricky Rubio played with Mitchell in Utah and was really happy when we got him. I'm sure he explained to Mitchell what the situation is in Cleveland. Mitchell seems to have bought into it completely.
NBA players like to talk about the dominant player on a team as "the head of the snake," but in Cle we really have a 2-headed snake. And, actually, we have some plays where Caris LeVert or Cedi Osman bring the ball up the court. LeVert was brought here as a scorer, but the coach made it clear to him that since we now have plenty of top class scorers, his minutes this season will depend on his willingness to play defense.
It's a great bunch of guys. Kevin Love and Rubio provide veteran leadership. Love looks and sounds in interviews like he is having more fun now than at any other time in his career. One of the coolest things when watching a Cavs game is to see Love grab a rebound and pass the ball the length of the court with pinpoint accuracy to Osman, who is always the first guy running back, for an easy layup.
We have a very entertaining team.