The Cavs are off to a surprising start with a 4-6 record 10 games into the season. The team won just 19 games last year. WKSU sports commentator Terry Pluto said the team has had a relatively easy schedule to start. Still, he says many things are starting to gel, including the team's vision for life post-LeBron James.
"It's exactly what general manager Koby Altman hoped it would be," Pluto said. "You're going to have these 19 and 20-year olds, but also a couple of these older guys who want to be here. Kevin Love is the oldest player on the team at 31. Tristan Thompson is another. He's going to be a free agent at the end of the season, so he's playing for money. And Matthew Dellavedova is also going to be a free agent. But these aren't just free agents brought in. They were on the 2016 championship team. Cleveland means something to them."
The young players are 19-year old rookies Kevin Porter and Darius Garland, and second-year player Collin Sexton. Through nine games, Sexton is the Cavs' leading scorer. "You're putting these guys in these situations where they're learning how to win at least some games," Pluto said.
And Pluto said rookie coach John Beilein is learning on the fly pretty well. "During his first game they go in during halftime and one of his assistants tells him that he had Kevin Love out there for 20 of 24 minutes. You can't do that. So J.B. Bickerstaff, the top assistant, is now watching Love's minutes. They want to keep him at around 30 to 32 minutes for the game."
