Building around Donovan Mitchell has been the Cavaliers’ mission ever since they acquired him from Utah nearly four years ago.
Nothing about that appears to be changing.
Speaking at his end-of-season press conference, Cavs president of basketball operations Koby Altman made it clear that keeping Mitchell in Cleveland remains a major organizational priority heading into the offseason.
“Donovan is our guy,” Altman said. “He’s elevated everything about this franchise and this organization.”
Mitchell becomes eligible for a contract extension on July 7, when Cleveland can offer him a four-year deal worth up to $272 million. Whether Mitchell chooses to sign immediately remains to be seen, as waiting until next summer could position him for an even larger contract worth roughly $350 million.
Altman declined to say whether the Cavs plan to put an offer in front of Mitchell as soon as he’s eligible.
What he did make clear is how highly the organization values its All-NBA guard.
“All I can tell you is Donovan has been steadfast in how much he loves it here,” Altman said. “There hasn’t been any question of will he be here and does he want to be here.”
Mitchell reiterated those feelings after the season ended, saying he loves playing for the Cavs and believes the franchise is capable of competing for a championship.
The results since his arrival support Altman’s optimism.
Before acquiring Mitchell in 2022, the Cavs missed the playoffs four straight years. Since then, they’re reached the postseason every season, culminating with this year’s trip to the Eastern Conference finals.
“Four years without him, no playoffs,” Altman said. “Four years with him, playoffs.”
If the Cavs have their way, that partnership isn’t ending anytime soon.
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This is where the Cavs mess it all up.
You have Donavan Mitchell. That’s a good thing. That’s the good part. You don’t want to change that.
Then you go and say things like “build around” the person, and “he’s our guy”. As if he is some kind of savior.
That’s a total miscast.
It will mess up EVERYONE’S mentality on the team. What the priorities are. What the mission is. Everything.
Let the hall of fame do what they do. Altman, you do what you’re supposed to do.. and build a TEAM that wins basketball games as a TEAM. You are IGNORING the immense amount of talent in the locker room, and encouraging your team to do the same, when you make the mission to retain a superstar.. rather than to win basketball games at the very top level. It’s a 5 man sport. Ask the other three teams still playing. They win as a GROUP. And they play as a group on BOTH ENDS.
Until the Cavs start doing that, the praise and fawning over a scoring specialist who coasts on defense, in an effort to sell tickets, is it exactly what leaves people with an undetectable sour taste in their mouth at the end of the season. You’re OVERSELLING, AGAIN. To the detriment of the team.
Coaching staff should not feel their last resort is to hand the ball to Donavan Mitchell.
Again. Our roster and our talent is not the problem. How we’re weighing the talent in the room, and the hint of bad analytics out of Kenny Atkinson’s mouth the other day, are what I am sure at least some Cavs fans are frustrated with.
It’s not the ingredients. It’s the one who wrote the recipe, and all we can do is hope the chef does NOT follow that recipe, knows when/where we need less of that, and more of this, and to let that ingredient over there cook a little longer.