INDEPENDENCE, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – In February the Cavaliers were the story in the NBA at 35-21, one full game out of the top seed in the Eastern Conference.
They appeared destined for a return to the playoffs, but the basketball gods had other plans and following a pair of losses in the Play-In Tournament their season came to a disappointing end.
“I’m still a little heart sick, to be honest with you,” Cavaliers president of basketball operations Koby Altman said Tuesday. “It’s hard to process the season ending the way it did and that we’re still not playing but it was such a remarkable year for so many reasons.”
While missing the playoffs was disappointing, Altman refused to allow it to overshadow what was unquestionably a gigantic leap forward for a franchise that won a combined 60 games the previous three seasons combined.
“It’s well documented what Vegas had us at,” Altman said.
The 22-win improvement to 44 victories was the second-best year-to-year leap in team history.
“The thing I’m most proud of is this team captivated a city, put the league on notice,” Altman, who also joked the NBA had to put them on national TV, said. “This was a team that was uniquely for Cleveland, and I think you saw the fanbase really embrace this team.”
It’s impossible not to see what the young Cavs achieved.
Darius Garland was named an All-Star in his third season. Jarrett Allen ended up being a well-deserved injury replacement. The Cavs stole the show by winning the Skills Challenge during All-Star Saturday night, which they hosted in Cleveland.
Garland is a finalist for the Most Improved Player award. Kevin Love is a finalist for the Sixth man of the Year Award. No. 3 overall pick Evan Mobley is a finalist for Rookie of the Year.
More than wins and losses or awards, Altman explained what defined success for him this past season.
“We were able to find an identity,” Altman said. “We were able to play competitive basketball. Every single game down the stretch had real consequence. You can’t call it playoffs, but there was postseason basketball back in Cleveland.”
A total of 13 players missed time due to injury this past season.
The three biggest blows were Collin Sexton and Ricky Rubio being lost for the year due to knee injuries. Allen missed 19 games down the stretch after breaking a finger before returning less than 100% for their Play-In loss to the Hawks.
After acquiring Caris LeVert from Indiana, he went down with an ankle sprain. So did veteran Rajon Rondo.
The season went up in smoke from there as they finished 9-19, including the two Play-In Tournament losses.
“The rash of injuries sort of derailed a lot of that,” Altman said.
Altman’s challenge is to make the Cavaliers better, and deeper this offseason.
Collin Sexton will be a restricted free agent this offseason after the team decided not to sign him to an extension and Cleveland can match any offer sheet he might get.
“He in a lot of ways was the start of not only the rebuild, but the culture that we have in place now,” Altman said. “He embodies every part of that, and he still does today.
“He’s enormously important to us. He’s been enormously important to us. To lose him, you could see throughout the year why we missed him or how we missed him. We owe Collin a great debt of gratitude of the work he’s done, the work he’s put in and continues to put in. [He’s an] important part of this team.”
The acquisition of LeVert, who is eligible for a contract extension this offseason, didn’t produce the results everyone expected but Altman made it clear LeVert was not to blame.
“Midseason trades are hard for everybody,” Altman said. “He had a totally different role with Indiana than he had here. He was coming to a place that had enormous success already. I had roles, defined roles, guys that had success – All-Star seasons. So to try and fit in was not easy. It’s not easy for anybody but I love what Caris brought to the table. He fit right in.
“The [end of season] record is not a reflection of the trade or him and I can’t imagine how we would’ve gone down the stretch without that talent he provided.”
Can the Cavs keep both Sexton and LeVert?
“The hardest part of my job is finding really good players, and ones that really want to be here,” Altman said. “Yes, there’s a place for that level of talent, especially with the character that they bring and the fact that both really love it here.”
The upside to not making the playoffs is Altman gets to keep that first-round pick he sent to Indiana for LeVert along with Rubio’s expiring contract.
“I guess that’s a silver lining, that we get to keep the pick,” Altman said.
But do they need another young player? Altman already has a list of targets in the draft regardless of where their pick lands.
“We’ve done an incredible job through the draft,” Altman said. “Taking a step back and looking at the draft now, I like the draft. I really do. I’m not just saying that.
“There’s nothing wrong with having another young player that you can develop. I don’t want to say ‘Let’s trade [the pick] again and get somebody else.’ I think there’s a nice niche here for a young prospect to really grow without a ton of expectation and grow potentially into a rotational player that can help down the road so I actually like this draft a lot.”
Next season the Cavs won’t sneak up on anyone.
Vegas will be much kinder in the win-loss over-unders for 2022-23. They will no longer be underdogs as they transition from the hunters to the hunted.
“We want the expectation,” Altman said. “This year the theme was like, let’s emerge. We’re emerging as a franchise, and as personnel. As a team, we’re not going to surprise teams next year.”
Things went so well this year for the Cavs that Altman was promoted from general manager to president of basketball operations. Mike Gansey took over as GM under Altman. Head coach J.B. Bickerstaff was also signed to a contract extension.
It’s hard not to lament what could’ve been for the Cavs this season and impossible not to appreciate how far they came.
“It was such a fun, exciting group and there’s a long runway ahead of exciting basketball,” Altman said. “We’re really excited for the future, obviously, and the work continues.”
