A new era is dawning in Ohio as the Cleveland Cavaliers are expected to become one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference again after the recent acquisition of Donovan Mitchell.
It is certainly a welcome development as the Cavs were in a sorry state not too long ago. Even the team’s front office and coaching staff expressed their concerns as it seemed like the franchise was going to be “swept out” soon.
“There was a time not long ago when this entire front office and coaching staff were concerned they’d soon be swept out,” wrote Jason Lloyd of The Athletic. “Folks inside were grumbling about structure and direction, while outside I’d get calls from others around the league asking, ‘What’s going on in Cleveland? What’s the plan? I don’t see a plan.'”
In 2019, the Cavs hired John Beilein to be their head coach. However, things didn’t go as planned, and Beilein resigned as head coach just 54 games into the 2019-20 campaign.
It looked like Cleveland was going to languish at the bottom of the standings for the next several seasons. However, the organization saw a cultural shift thanks to the leadership of current head coach J.B. Bickerstaff.
The team did finish the following season with a 22-50 record, but the foundation had been laid. On top of that, the Cavs finishing near the bottom of the standings allowed them to gain the No. 3 pick of the 2021 NBA Draft. They used the selection on University of South California product Evan Mobley.
Return to playoff contention
In the 2021-22 campaign, the Cavs finally rose to playoff contention again. It was the first time that Cleveland had a real shot at making the playoffs since LeBron James left town to play for the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2018 offseason.
Unfortunately, the team could not sustain the success it had early in the regular season. It finished with a 44-38 record and earned a spot in the play-in tournament. Losing to the Brooklyn Nets and Atlanta Hawks in the play-in sent the Cavs packing early without a playoff berth.
Bright future
Even though Cleveland missed its fourth consecutive playoffs, things were already looking up with the expected development of first-time All-Stars Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen and Rookie of the Year runner-up Mobley.
However, with the addition of Mitchell to the roster, the team certainly has a brighter future ahead of it. Only time will tell how successful the new-look Cavaliers lineup will become.
