Dribbles: Cavs In Good Spot, With Goal Of Being At Best When It Means Most

INDEPENDENCE, Ohio — Random dribbles from the Cavaliers’ press conference featuring president of basketball operations Koby Altman and new coach Kenny Atkinson on Friday.

1. After about five minutes of listening to Kenny Atkinson, I felt like lacing up my sneakers, putting up some jumpers and running a bunch of sprints.

2. Thankfully for the Cavs, it won’t come to that. They have actual talent, depth and youth. Just ask Altman and Atkinson.

3. But the point is, Atkinson is fired up. Altman is fired up. Donovan Mitchell is fired up, as we’ve relayed here and here. Mitchell also led a group of Cavs in returning to the practice facility right after Labor Day, Altman proudly announced.

4. Anyway, the big elephant in the room (as far as fans are concerned) is how the Cavs didn’t make any notable moves this offseason beyond hiring a coach. That was not by accident. The Cavs set out to sign the needed parties to extensions, keep their core together, and let Atkinson get to work. 

5. As Atkinson said, “Continuity is a coach’s dream. Continuity and youth.”

6. Guess what the Cavs have? And honestly, there was no move out there that really moved the needle. No potential free-agent signing or low-level trade would’ve changed anything.

7. So stick with what you have and see if the coach can take it to another level. If not, you have all the way until February to make a trade.

8. That was another point of emphasis at the press conference. Altman implied that the Cavs have recently played their basketball before the All-Star break. That would be hard to argue. This year, the theme is to be at their best after the break, for the playoffs, when it means the most.

9. I think any Cavs fan can get behind that. Making a move just for the sake of one wouldn’t have made sense. This isn’t fantasy league.

10. Atkinson talked extensively about his belief that Mitchell and Darius Garland can not only work, but flourish. The same goes for Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen in the frontcourt. It’s a big reason why he got the job.

11. Atkinson on Garland: “Darius said to me the other day, ‘Coach. We vibe. This group vibes.’ And for me, it’s a dream come true. … It makes me confident that we’ll have no problem getting through tough times.” Altman added that it’s important for the Cavs to get Garland back to an All-Star level.

12. As for not making any big changes, Altman said that “the easiest thing is to break things up. But as I’ve said, there’s more evidence of success with this group.”

13. I asked Altman about the franchise holding training camp outside the state of Ohio for the first time in franchise history. As you know by now, the Cavs are headed to IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, next week. As you also likely know, parts of Florida have been decimated by another hurricane.

14. So when I asked Altman about it, he put his hands together in a praying motion. He said the trip is still on. But why Florida? Well, according to the main man, last season’s trip to Paris brought the team even closer together. The idea is to build off that at IMG.

15. Monday is Media Day at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse. Tuesday is the start of camp. October 8 is the preseason opener (vs. the Bulls at home). I’m fired up. I love my job. Thank you for making it possible. I think the Cavaliers are in a very good place. I also think they’ll be better at the end of the season than the start. And that’s precisely the goal. Talk to you soon.