Tuesday 24 September 2019 10:31, UK
Collin Sexton, Cedi Osman and Darius Garland set to lead the task of getting the Cleveland Cavaliers back in the playoff conversation.
The first season in the post-LeBron James era, Part II, was almost a carbon copy of the first one. James left and the Cavaliers crumbled. This was pretty much expected from a team that was built around LeBron and then suddenly grew old overnight once he left.
It didn't help matters when Kevin Love, given a rich contract the previous summer, played only 22 games because of injury. That ensured the Cavs would be locked into a rebuilding season and rookie point guard Collin Sexton would receive ample playing time as a result, which was not necessarily a bad thing at all.
Shaky initially, Sexton finished the season strongly, averaging 20 points the last two-and-a-half months to make the All-Rookie Second Team. Swingman Cedi Osman benefited from increased playing time and had moments in his second season.
In a mild disappointment, Larry Nance Jr failed to take a generous step in his development and there's fear he will be nothing more than a scrappy, hard-working role player who'll make the occasional highlight dunk.
Otherwise, the Cavs' season served no major purpose. The remaining pieces from the LeBron era either crumbled in various ways or simply disappeared: JR Smith was suspended, essentially for insubordination; Love was hurt; Tristan Thompson plateaued; George Hill and Kyle Korver were traded. The Cavs sunk toward the bottom of the East, fell off radar for the first time in six years, and once again found themselves back in the lottery looking for help.
In a summer of surprises around the NBA, one of the more underrated events happened when the Cavs' coaching search ended with a 66-year-old grandfatherly type who had never spent a day on an NBA bench.
John Beilein might well be a revelation, one way or another. He spent much of his college career at Michigan, where he was highly respected for his strategy, composure and character - three elements he'll need in Cleveland. Beilein had flirted with the NBA in years past; when nothing materialised, some NBA people thought his time had passed, especially once he reached retirement age.
But the Cavs went with an out-of-the-box choice anyway, plucking Beilein even though the college-to-NBA transition comes with inconsistent results and yellow flags. Brad Stevens is the exception, and besides, he was in his mid-30s when he left Butler and took the Celtics job.
The one current college coach whose name surfaces the most in NBA conversation is Jay Wright of Villanova, who has served on Team USA and appears NBA-ready. Word is Wright will be on the Sixers' shortlist if and when that job opens.
Because of Beilein's age and the state of the Cavs, he seems like a bridge-gap coach; if so, that's a smart choice. He is experienced at managing young players, and the Cavs will build their next era through the Draft. Top free agents didn't make Cleveland a destination choice, even when presented with the chance to play alongside LeBron.
Given how quiet the Cavs were this summer, the odds are great that they'll return to the draft lottery in 2020 and give Beilein additional players in their early 20s to nurture.
He'll have five this season, with Sexton and Osman returning, plus Darius Garland, Dylan Windler and Kevin Porter Jr coming on via first-round picks.
The prize is Garland, the No 5 pick who was limited by a meniscus injury to five games in his one and only season at Vanderbilt. This seems eerily similar to years earlier when the Cavs took another guard with a limited (11-game) college career: Kyrie Irving. Garland was a three-time Mr Basketball in Tennessee and was considered the best recruit ever at Vandy, and that's about all NBA scouts had to work with this spring. Not only was his college career brief, but he also left the combine early.
Apparently, that was enough for the Cavs, smitten by Garland's instincts. The only question is how he fits with Sexton; both can play off the ball, although each is more comfortable as the lead playmaker.
Porter represents a wild card of sorts. Talent-wise, he can be considered a steal with the 30th pick... after being red-flagged by teams following a suspension at USC for poor conduct that cost him much of that single season. Porter was a workout beast prior to the draft, a swingman who brings great size (6ft 6in) and can create off the dribble. The Cavs had nothing to lose by choosing him at that point.
Windler benefited from four years in college, steering underdog Belmont to the NCAA tourney and developing into a prospect by his senior year.
The Cavs and Beilein can figure out how it all fits later. Right now, Cleveland are focused on stockpiling as many assets as possible and giving that young core plenty of time to make their mistakes now, rather than later.
And speaking of assets, they didn't trade Love this summer. But that doesn't mean he'll be on the roster when next season ends, either. If the right price comes along - and that'll be tricky because of his age, injury history and salary - Love can and will exit.
LeBron James will eventually get a statue outside Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse (formerly Quicken Loans Arena), but he isn't walking through that door again. The Cavs must take another road to respectability, and it could be a long one.
Veteran NBA writer Shaun Powell has worked for newspapers and other publications for more than 25 years. Follow him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/Powell2daPeople
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