00:00Hello, Kenny.
00:01Is it crisis mode for your Cleveland Cavaliers, even though they're 13-4 since they traded
00:06for James Harden, they're 7-3 in their last 10?
00:09I wouldn't say crisis mode.
00:12Well, that's not how Kenny sounds.
00:13Well, I'm glad.
00:14I do like that the head coach.
00:15Kenny's upset.
00:16I do think it's good the head coach can talk publicly about that stuff that shows that
00:20he's secure, that shows that he is not walking on eggshells around the players.
00:24I do like that.
00:25But because if we had some young, inexperienced coach who was afraid to rock the boat this
00:33time of year, then I'd be like, this team's doomed.
00:35There's no messaging.
00:36He feels like there are prima donnas on the team that he can't speak to.
00:40No, that's not the case.
00:41I mean, Kenny Atkinson, down the stretch here, you remember it was right before the Harden
00:47trade that Kenny and the organization basically said, no more excuses for injuries.
00:53Do you remember that?
00:54We haven't really come back to that much.
00:55Yes.
00:56But they said no more excuses.
00:58And then they traded Darius Garland.
01:01So, you know, you could put, you could do the math on that, but it was pretty obvious
01:05that they thought his unavailability was kind of getting in the way.
01:10Now he's been great since he finally was able to suit it up for the Clippers, but it was
01:14unreliable.
01:15They didn't know when they could make sure that he'd be in the games and plan around it
01:21accordingly.
01:21Secondly, in this case, like their offense is one of the best offenses in the NBA.
01:26Like they're not worried about their offense.
01:27And you saw it again last night.
01:29Now Donovan looked like Donovan again, which was huge.
01:32Like his body looked right.
01:33I'm watching in the first half, which should I tell you about Liz's, uh, I, I, did I tell
01:37you before the show about Liz's, uh, observation of Sam Merrill?
01:40She goes, who's number five.
01:43And I go, that's Sam Merrill.
01:44She goes, he just stands in the corner.
01:46Like he doesn't want to be there.
01:47I said, what?
01:48She's like, yeah, this looks like a company picnic.
01:50And he's just like standing there.
01:53So he doesn't get in the way of everybody.
01:54I go, well, that's, that's his rolling offense.
01:57She goes, what?
01:58I go, nothing.
01:59Well, and I thought, thank you for just leaving this on in the bedroom here.
02:01Let's just keep watching.
02:03I tell her, we appreciate her observations and we have the coming in hot, uh, hotline that
02:08she could dial into.
02:10If she wants to share, she wants to share her thoughts on Sam Merrill.
02:13Yes, yes, uh, but it's going to turn into Snoop Dogg jokes real quick and I'm not dealing
02:18with it.
02:19No, shut up, Owen.
02:20Uh, but I was, John doesn't know about that yet.
02:22I would say offensively, you know, this team plays like a champion defensively right now.
02:29They play like a team that to me is playing out the string of the regular season and also,
02:34also without their second best defensive player, Jared Allen, who, as we know, is a big part
02:39of everything they do defensively.
02:40And now he's missed nine games, which do we, do we learn anything more yesterday on
02:45the status of Jared Allen?
02:47Is anybody talking to Jared Allen yesterday?
02:48Well, we're going to have to ask Danny about it coming up at seven 20 this morning.
02:51Danny Cunningham is going to join us on the show.
02:53Well, Owen had a hell of a point before the show.
02:55Let me throw that out there.
02:57Owen's like, do we have to have that?
02:59You could say it yourself.
03:00A team that has the rainy defensive player of the year.
03:02How can you stand to have that many defensive problems?
03:05Is that basically the gist?
03:06Yeah.
03:07I think that's a hell of a point, you know, and I know Wimby went down.
03:12So last year, so that's why Evan won it, but still, it's good to be in the running two
03:16defensive player in the NBA then.
03:18Absolutely.
03:19And there's no way.
03:20And Kenny was just so critical of, you know, they, they, they asked him about, well, you're
03:25still top 10.
03:25And he's like, no, we aren't.
03:27We're like 13th, 14th.
03:28Well, when you're looking at the playoffs, if you're the 13th or 14th best team and all
03:33the other ones are in the playoffs, yeah, normally that's bad.
03:36Normally defensively, like the metrics have been over the last 15 years, since they really
03:40started tracking this, using the data they do is you got to be top 10 offense and defense.
03:45There've been a few anomalies because of injuries, but you got to basically be top 10 in both
03:51or have a shot certainly at like top five in one of them.
03:54And the calves defensively have just not been good all year.
03:58And then they make those trades.
04:00So even the institutional knowledge of the Kenny Atkinson slash before him, JB Bickerstaff
04:07defense, that's not going to be there when you throw in three new guys at the deadline.
04:14And then right after the deadline, you know, or I should say like three weeks after the
04:17deadline, Max Truce comes back and trying to, trying to put those guys all in a cohesive
04:24defensive manner.
04:25It's just, it's taking time and I know that's not going to be an excuse.
04:29They made the trades, they made the trades and they were willing to, you know, in, in
04:33some ways they were willing to sacrifice that, that part of it.
04:37I'm stuck in a rock and hard place here because when I look at this team, I can't believe I'm
04:43still getting, I am still getting regrettable mentions and calls.
04:50We are still getting those about Darius Garland being traded.
04:53And I'm like, guys, this team is clearly better with James Harden, which last night I was
04:57like, God, he's filling it up.
04:58I didn't realize that was his best first half since he's been here last night against
05:02Orlando.
05:02He's been very deferential in the first halves of these games.
05:06Part of me is like, man, I, at times I want James to take over a little more like those,
05:09that first half against Zion and the Pelicans.
05:13I was like, I kind of need the ball in James's hands more.
05:17And then it was in the third and fourth quarter and they came back from down 16.
05:20He was outstanding last night.
05:21He was upsetting Pelop and Carroll and everything.
05:23I mean, it was great, especially right there at the end with that three ball that he hit.
05:26I mean, he was fantastic.
05:27Did you see the behind the back pass he threw in the half court to Max Strews?
05:32I did not see this.
05:33They did not give it enough love on the broadcast.
05:36Which one?
05:36FanDuel, Peacock, both?
05:38Which one?
05:38Where was it streaming?
05:39I don't know.
05:40I saw it on Peacock last night.
05:41I started watching on FanDuel downstairs, went upstairs.
05:44It was on Peacock.
05:46He just, it was just a calm, no frills play.
05:50And all of a sudden he goes behind the back all the way opposite diagonal to the three-point
05:54line for Max Strews, who hits a wide open three.
05:57And I'm like, yeah, LeBron James is the only guy I've seen that can make that pass in my
06:03history of watching basketball.
06:05It was insane.
06:06So this is where I'm at here, though.
06:07I'm in a rock and a hard place.
06:08And I think you probably should join me in the same place here.
06:10Is I got a lot of people complaining about what should be a championship-level basketball
06:16team.
06:16And yeah, when you trade for James Harden, I mean, I could look at you dead in the eye
06:19and go, guys, Donovan Mitchell and James Harden are fantastic.
06:23But you still have Jalen Brown and Jason Tatum in the East.
06:28Like, that's, I'm sorry, one's going to be better.
06:32And right now the Celtics have been better and the Celtics probably will be better.
06:36Um, I know what I, I know what I wrote in pencil.
06:40I know that I can't take that back.
06:42I'm not taking that back, but I might end up having to eat that in the end.
06:46That pointed out is I've done a lot of defending of the Cavs.
06:51I've defended this move to the point.
06:52I think it's honestly become bitter between us in the afternoon show.
06:55At least one person on the afternoon show.
06:57It's kind of become bitter between us and our thoughts on the Cavs in this basketball team.
07:01Um, I've defended that, but at the same time, like, yeah, I guess I'm concerned about the
07:05defense.
07:06If Kenny Atkinson's raising rightfully so in siren off alarms, like, yeah, I think I should
07:11be concerned about the defense.
07:12I mean, cause I could look at it and go, guys, Kenny, like, I don't want to poo poo it
07:15and
07:15say, well, it's by design, this side of the other.
07:17If Kenny told us, and then all of a sudden you're just getting caught on switches and you
07:21can't do anything against Boston or God forbid something in the first or second round.
07:26Cause I do think some of this, I keep using the word design.
07:28Some of this is by design.
07:29They want to keep that four seed, especially after what Detroit did, uh, two nights ago
07:33against LA.
07:34So I know what, what, what they might be doing here.
07:36And we might run ourselves into a problem on fan appreciation night where you have some
07:40weird stuff going on.
07:41We'll cross that when we get there, but I'm caught in this point where I think what they
07:45made was a prudent move that had to be done.
07:48And they stopped waiting for somebody who I don't think is going to get healthy to get
07:52healthy.
07:53They made a strong move to try to open up their doors to win a serious, to be a serious
07:58contender for a championship.
07:59I support that.
08:00And I've done a lot of defending, but I can't look at this and say that this is fantastic.
08:05I mean, the first halves have been horrific, especially.
08:08And then really quarter yesterday.
08:10The first, oh God, yes, indeed.
08:12The first halves have been horrific, especially, but defensively, it's just, it's just not been
08:16what you need it to be, to be a championship level basketball team.
08:19Call it what it is.
08:20Kenny Atkinson says.
08:20Everything.
08:22The compete level.
08:23And then along with the compete level, there's an IQ level, an understanding of the game.
08:29So if you're slipping on both areas, you give up 132 points.
08:33And the last part of that is communication, right?
08:36So if your compete level's not there defensively, you're missing closeouts or not understanding
08:44personnel.
08:45That's the IQ part.
08:47That's Kenny Atkinson on it.
08:48So we're all, and I want more answers from Danny coming up at 720.
08:54We're all waiting for Jared to come back.
08:58And I'm starting to ask questions hearing Kenny in the post game on the way in, hearing that
09:04right there.
09:06Is he being hard on these guys?
09:08Cause it might be a little bit more serious than we know about Jared Allen.
09:11And it's like, cause I think with Jared Allen out with James Harden coming here and with
09:16Jared Allen out, he has proven just how important Jared Allen is to this basketball team.
09:22James Harden came in and immediately started working well with, with Jared Allen, Jared
09:27Allen gets injured.
09:28We got all these problems defensively here.
09:31And I go from the most underrated Cavalier to maybe perhaps the most important, like you know, like the most
09:36skilled, no, the best, no, but most important, I think we might be seeing it.
09:41And Kenny's being hard on this.
09:43And I think a lot of us would go, man, now this is me maybe freaking out a little bit.
09:48All right.
09:48Cause when you hear a coach talk like that and be so strong about it, it's going to raise
09:53your concerns.
09:54Right?
09:54So I don't think I'm wrong about this.
09:56I don't think I'm wrong to react this way.
09:57You are nodding your head with me.
09:59Stay with me on this.
10:01If it's more serious than we know with Jared Allen, like he'd be looking at going, that
10:05guy ain't walking through the door.
10:06You guys better figure this out defensively here.
10:09You guys better hold on to everything that you're doing here.
10:11And cause he's talking effort.
10:13He's talking ability to pick it up defensively.
10:15And Jared was an effort guy.
10:17Jared could be a really great player for this team.
10:20And I just start to wonder, you know, they said it was a knee knock.
10:24It sounded not concerning.
10:25And here we are a couple of weeks later and he's still gone.
10:29And I got no real prognosis here.
10:31So yeah, I mean, I'm still assuming that Jared Allen is going to be, I've never seen somebody
10:35miss, you know, a month with knee tendinitis.
10:38Like Kobe Bryant went to Germany to get, you know, PRP before people even knew what that
10:42was.
10:42And he did that and was back like two weeks later.
10:45I don't know if Jared Allen could then fly him to Germany.
10:48We have that here in Cleveland now.
10:50Shoot the lasers out of his knee.
10:51Yes.
10:51Let's go.
10:52We have it with my friends over at QC Kinetics.
10:54Like, come on.
10:55But either way.
10:56So I, I'm assuming Jared's going to be back.
10:58Like, I can't imagine the playoffs are in less than a month, but I can't imagine he's
11:03going to miss another, you know, month in addition to the three weeks that he's missed.
11:08Okay.
11:08I've never heard of such a thing for knee tendinitis.
11:10That would be an all time.
11:11You get a little concerned.
11:12Yeah.
11:12No, I get it.
11:13You should be concerned about the defense.
11:14Now, the effort, honestly, I'm not all that worried about effort right now.
11:20Like, they're clearly doing just enough to win the games.
11:22Like, if you watch James Harden, for instance, and people wonder, how is James Harden at 37
11:28still playing like a top borderline 20 player in the NBA?
11:32He's 36 still.
11:32He's 36.
11:33People wonder, how is he able to do that?
11:35Well, by optimizing his movement on the floor, he's not going to do any extra level of involvement
11:43on either end.
11:45And you're like, oh, that's how he never gets injured.
11:47Look at how he plays.
11:48He's not sprawling on the floor after jumping as high as he can jump full speed after a Euro
11:54step.
11:55That's not what James' game is.
11:57It hasn't been that in a long time.
11:59And he's not going to revert back to that.
12:00And they need him healthy for the playoffs.
12:02I think they would co-sign that.
12:03You know, Donovan Mitchell is not going to go flying all over the place and show every little
12:08bit of effort.
12:09It's not the playoffs.
12:09These guys are too close to the finish line now to have a catastrophic injury derail the
12:15whole season.
12:16And then you made a James Harden trade for no reason.
12:18I just want to make sure.
12:20I'm not exactly.
12:20I'm not totally worried about the effort.
12:22But I don't want to be an emperor that doesn't realize he's not wearing clothes here where
12:27when the head coach, like the head coach's job is to manipulate and to push and prod and
12:32do those things.
12:33But I do become concerned where, you know, you are trying to ramp up here.
12:38You have a handful of games left.
12:43I'm less concerned than the head coach and it shouldn't be that way.
12:46You know, I should be freaking out.
12:48I should be a fan freaking out.
12:49Again, overwins.
12:50I mean, they were 3-0 on the road and they won this game last night.
12:54They play Miami tonight at home, back-to-back, which you know how we feel about the back-to-backs,
12:59but either way, and I go, gosh, am I just sticking my head in the sand here or is there
13:03a real problem here?
13:04And Kenny has been trying to tell us over the last couple of weeks, seems to be an issue.
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