Evan Dammarell Articles - Page 25

Already a month into the 2023-24 NBA season and there are already awards to be handed out. For those who don’t know, the NBA names the top player in the Eastern and Western Conferences every week. Meanwhile, they also name the top player, rookie, and coach for the Eastern and Western Conferences toward the start […]

When the second half began between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Detroit Pistons, it felt like deja vu. Even though the Pistons are suffering through a double-digit losing streak, it looked like the Cavs were the team dealing with constant defeat. Cleveland came out flat while Detroit was sharp, with Cade Cunningham and Jaden Ivey taking […]

After an embarrassing and humbling loss to the Portland Trail Blazers, Saturday’s tilt with the Detroit Pistons has become vital for the Cleveland Cavaliers. That’s right: the team that didn’t win a single game in November and has only won two games this year will be the Cavs’ biggest test. That’s a lot riding on […]

Heading into the final game of a five-game home stand against the Portland Trail Blazers, the Cleveland Cavaliers were flying high. They had two solid and decisive wins over the Toronto Raptors and Atlanta Hawks and were starting to become a legitimate Eastern Conference Contender. But, like Icarus, the Cavs flew too close to the […]

With so many injuries to so many key players to start the season, it has been hard to gauge where the Cleveland Cavaliers stand in the grand scheme of the NBA. Advanced metrics say the Cavs have the 22nd-best offense in the league per offensive rating, scoring 111.4 points per 100 possessions. Meanwhile, they have […]

For a team as young and full of depth as the Cleveland Cavaliers, it can be difficult to win right away while developing for the future. Sure, there are rare moments when players like two-way rookie guard Craig Porter Jr. can take advantage of injuries and minutes available to land consistent minutes in the rotation. […]

Cleveland Cavaliers head coach J.B. Bickerstaff has expressed on multiple occasions that he evaluates things every 20 games or so. That roughly quarter-long stretch of the NBA’s regular season is the perfect balance between not overreacting too early and not sitting on his hands too long to fix issues bothering his team. For Bickerstaff, it’s […]

The NBA In-Season Tournament has been a learning process for everyone, not just fans or media that cover the league. Cleveland Cavaliers head coach J.B. Bickerstaff shared on Tuesday before his team’s game against the Atlanta Hawks, Cleveland’s final group stage opponent, that he’s loved learning the process and went as far to say that […]

Heading into their final Group A matchup in the NBA’s inaugural In-Season Tournament against the Atlanta Hawks, the Cleveland Cavaliers are still alive. In a metaphysical sense, they never actually passed on to the great unknown. Instead, the Cavs have a slim chance to make the In-Season Tournament playoffs as the lone Eastern Conference Wild […]

One day in the near future, the 2021 NBA Draft will likely become one of the all-time greats from sheer talent alone. Especially considering that Evan Mobley and Scottie Barnes, arguably the two best players from that 2021 draft class, were picked third and fourth overall. Speaking of Mobley and Barnes, the two are forever […]

It was a scary moment for the Cleveland Cavaliers when Darius Garland fell to the floor and hit his head on the court in the first half against the Los Angeles Lakers. Soon after, he left the floor and headed back to the locker room to be evaluated by Cleveland’s medical staff. He was eventually […]

While it’s becoming clearer that the Cleveland Cavaliers are better off with Darius Garland being the alpha in their backcourt, it doesn’t mean Donovan Mitchell can’t shine. With the team’s rotation fully healthy, the Cavs have found a nuclear lineup that can let Mitchell shine brightest whenever he’s not sharing the floor with Garland. New […]

Early in the season, the common theme for the Cleveland Cavaliers have been injuries. Whenever one player returns to the rotation, another heads out for a random ache, pain, or hamstring strain. It started with Jarrett Allen missing the entire preseason and a sizeable portion of the early regular season. Lately, it has been Donovan […]

After hitting reset and refreshing after a frustrating loss to the Miami Heat, the Cleveland Cavaliers could be close to whole again. Donovan Mitchell (hamstring) and Isaac Okoro (knee) are considered game-time decisions leading up to their matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers. Meanwhile, Ty Jerome (ankle), Dean Wade (ankle) and Ricky Rubio (personal) remain […]

After they saw their four-game winning streak end at home against the Miami Heat, the Cleveland Cavaliers were frustrated. Max Strus described himself facing the Heat, his former team, as awful since the Cavs, his current team, were getting shredded on the perimeter. Cleveland head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said that the team was riding an […]

Even though the Cleveland Cavaliers saw their four-game win streak end at home against the Miami Heat, there was still a huge bright spot through the murkiness. Craig Porter Jr., an undrafted point guard out of Wichita State, has been thrust deeply into the Cavs’ rotation due to the litany of injuries Cleveland has been […]

With two dominant wins over the Detroit Pistons and Philadelphia 76ers, the Cleveland Cavaliers are in the thick of the race for the inaugural NBA In-Season tournament. Unfortunately, the Cavs have zero chance of winning Group A after dropping their first in-season game to the Indiana Pacers, the group’s champion. Instead, Cleveland will be jockeying […]

Currently on a four-game winning streak and heading into the second game of a back-to-back, the Cleveland Cavaliers will be without a few key faces when they host the Miami Heat. The Cavs will be without Donovan Mitchell (hamstring), Isaac Okoro (knee), Ty Jerome (ankle) and Ricky Rubio (personal). As always, Rubio’s absence shouldn’t come […]

Soon after he left the Philadelphia 76ers, Los Angeles Clippers guard James Harden infamously said that he isn’t a system player, but rather he is “the” system on offense. Harden blamed the Sixers for pigeonholing him on offense and limiting his abilities as a former MVP alongside reigning MVP Joel Embiid and rising star Tyrese […]

Currently on a three-game winning streak, the Cleveland Cavaliers are heading to the City of Brotherly Love to face Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers. Typically, this game would be a massive deal for Cleveland considering the quality of their opponent and the fact that the game will be broadcast on TNT. But, considering that […]

Did you know heading into their matchup against the Denver Nuggets, the Cleveland Cavaliers were the ninth-best defensive rebounding team in the league at 33.8 defensive rebounds per game? Meanwhile, did you know that the Cavs also allow the fifth-most second-chance opportunities in the league at 12.4 opponent offensive rebounds per game? It’s a weird […]

After two strong wins in a row, the Cleveland Cavaliers have to feel better about themselves after an uneven start to the season. With the Denver Nuggets looming, the Cavs need as many good vibes as possible to hang with an offensive juggernaut like Nikola Jokic and co. Well, the basketball gods seemingly felt otherwise […]

It’s been topsy-turvy for the Cleveland Cavaliers to start the 2023-24 regular season. In wins, there have been moments Cleveland showed signs of being a dominant, two-way team that was ready to contend for an NBA championship. Look no further than how the Cavs performed at home and on the road against the Golden State […]

Out of all 30 teams playing in the inaugural NBA In-Season Tournament, the Cleveland Cavaliers are only part of a handful of squads that have completed one of the four required Group Stage matchups. Granted, that’ll change when the Cavs host the Detroit Pistons at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse and then head to the City of […]

After an arduous four-game road trip with stops in Oklahoma City, Sacramento, Portland and San Francisco, the Cleveland Cavaliers are back home. Sure, playing at home against the lowly Detroit Pistons is excellent for any team, the Cavs included. But Cleveland is only 1-3 within the confines of Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse this season, which is […]

There were so many expectations and even more speculation for this iteration of the Cleveland Cavaliers coming into this year. Would the Cavs make a playoff run this season? Will Donovan Mitchell recommit to the team? What does Evan Mobley look like in his third season? How will the new offseason additions click with the […]

After finding their mojo against the Golden State Warriors, the Cleveland Cavaliers are hitting the road. It’ll be a seven-day, five-game trip for the Cavs away from the confines of Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. They open up in the Big Friendly against the Oklahoma City Thunder, which will be the second time Cleveland faces Oklahoma City, […]

Last season, the Cleveland Cavaliers were seemingly the perfect team on either end of the floor. They had the No. 1 overall defense in the NBA and were boasting a top-ten offense too. When the playoffs opened up, it felt like the Cavs had an easy track to reach the conference finals, especially after splitting […]

When the Cleveland Cavaliers fizzled out last season against the New York Knicks, their overall toughness was constantly questioned. It only worsened when the series ended when big man Jarrett Allen became a staple meme for NBA Twitter, saying, “The lights were brighter than expected.” Cleveland’s inability to handle pressure in the playoffs put the […]

When the Cleveland Cavaliers traded cash to the Utah Jazz to acquire Damian Jones, Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley’s prayers had been answered. No disrespect to Ed Davis or Robin Lopez, but Jones is a younger, more athletic body that can soak up minutes as the backup to either Allen or Mobley. Fast forward to […]

When it rains, it pours for the Cleveland Cavaliers and the inability to field a healthy roster. Even though Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen have been given the green light to play against the Golden State Warriors on Sunday, Ty Jerome is still sidelined. While Jerome serves as the Cavs’ primary backup point guard, they […]

When the Cleveland Cavaliers moved heaven and earth to sign Max Strus over the summer, the hope was that they have found their permanent starting small forward. Well, six games into the season and Strus has been trotted out as Cleveland’s starting 3 every night. He’s also given the Cavs exactly what they need from […]

After nine games (four in the preseason, five in the regular season) and tons of anticipation, the Cleveland Cavaliers’ ideal starting lineup finally took the floor together. Jarrett Allen, being sidelined for all nine games with a nagging bone bruise in his left ankle, kept things from taking flight. But, to be fair to Allen, […]

After securing their second win of the year Wednesday nightover the New York Knicks, the Cleveland Cavaliers might have picked up another win without touching the court. Heading into their first NBA In-Season Tournament game against the Indiana Pacers on Friday, the Cavs may have two new members in their rotation. Jarrett Allen, who has […]

In less than 24 hours, Evan Mobley went from Clark Kent to Superman. In the Cleveland Cavaliers’ 95-89 win over the New York Knicks on Wednesday, Mobley bounced back spectacularly after shrinking in game one of this back-to-back miniseries between Cleveland and New York. In the first leg, Mobley finished the evening with six points, […]

It’s not often NBA teams go through two consecutive back-to-backs like the Cleveland Cavaliers have. The first set was a two-game homestand against the Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers, both losses. The latest is a home-and-home set with the New York Knicks, the Cavs’ dreaded playoff foe from a season ago. The Cavs were […]

Heading into their Halloween matchup against the New York Knicks, the Cleveland Cavaliers had revenge on their mind. The Knicks punked the Cavs in the playoffs last year, ending a stellar season on a sour note. Throughout the series, Cleveland was undermanned and only had five viable players to match New York’s overwhelming depth. It […]

Some players on the Cleveland Cavaliers are viewing their upcoming home and home back-to-back series with the New York Knicks as the upcoming opponent on their schedule. For others, the sting of last season ending at the hands of New York still lingers. The emotions will be heightened on either side due to their recent […]

Early into the NBA season the prevailing theme for the Cleveland Cavaliers has been constant injuries. It started with Jarrett Allen being ruled out for the entire preseason with a bone bruise in his left ankle. Allen has missed every regular season matchup for Cleveland up to this point as well. Darius Garland, after tweaking […]