Fans are on the edge, but they haven’t gone over just yet.
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Earlier this week, we asked fans of the Cleveland Cavaliers to answer two key questions.
First, would you be disappointed if the 64-win Cavaliers ran it back with the same core four? More than half of the fan base said they’d be okay with it.
This shouldn’t be a shock. For as disappointing as the NBA Playoffs were for Cleveland — it’s not easy to throw away a team that had historic success in the regular season. Especially when the core is still young enough to believe another developmental leap could still be on the horizon.
Darius Garland is only 25 years old. Evan Mobley turns 24 later this month. Donovan Mitchell (28) and Jarrett Allen (27) are in the middle of their primes. This isn’t a team that’s at the end of its runway.
Nonetheless, it is noteworthy that roughly 40% of the fan base would be upset if the same group were to return. There aren’t many 64+ win teams that left this sour of a taste entering the summer.
I can’t blame anyone for being frustrated. If it makes you feel any better, the Indiana Pacers are up 1-0 on the Oklahoma City Thunder and they’ve improved to +265 underdogs to win the title.
In the event Cleveland did shake things up — who would the fan base want to move first?
Allen is first on the list with 56% of the vote. Garland is second, while Mitchell and Mobley are far away from being in the trade machine. Just 1% of the fan base would consider trading Mobley.
I would agree with this ranking. Though, I’d be far less willing to trade Garland than 38% of Cavs fans. It still makes sense to have Allen and Garland at the top of this order, with the two centerpieces of the roster almost entirely off-limits.
Mobley and Mitchell are the cornerstones. Allen and Garland are the overlapping talents. If you were to shake things up, you’d start with one of them.
With that said, trading one of Garland or Allen isn’t simple. The second apron is an obstacle. Sure. But replacing Garland’s playmaking and Allen’s value as the only other center on the roster is tough to achieve.
For that reason, I’d assume the Cavs retain this core and run it back next season, to the chagrin of 38% of the fan base.