A lot of focus has been placed on the Cavaliers and whether general manager Koby Altman will return for 2021-22. I wrote about this very topic earlier in the week and the vibe right now is this: Altman’s status appears to be very much up in the air.
That said, the longer this goes on, and Altman still has the job, the more I believe he will keep it for another season.
But I also know owner Dan Gilbert can be impatient — and the current Cavs have given him every reason to feel that way. Since LeBron James left for the Lakers, they have finished 19-63, 19-46 and 22-50.
Those are hardly the types of marks that will have the fans returning in droves next season. And based on the way things are going, Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse is expected to be back to full capacity here soon.
The spotlight will also be on Cleveland with the 2022 All-Star Game coming to town.
Gilbert is still actively involved with the franchise, despite some questions about that very topic. But make no mistake, he remains engaged and he wants the Cavs to start fielding a team that can at least compete for a playoff spot.
This is a business, and people only spend their dollars when it makes sense. While there are signs of promise, the Cavs have not been worth the price of admission lately.
That doesn’t necessarily mean Altman has to go. It’s never easy when you lose the best player in the game — for nothing.
Altman hasn’t exactly had tons of luck in the lottery, either, as the Cavs have finished with the No. 5 overall pick the past two years despite their struggles on the floor.
Those around the NBA will tell you the Cavs have done well with those picks (Darius Garland in 2019, Isaac Okoro in 2020). Altman has also made other positive moves, including acquiring young center Jarrett Allen at the trade deadline.
But now the Cavs will have some decisions to make. Assuming Altman keeps the job, he will be responsible for paying Allen, as Allen is about to enter restricted free agency.
Terry Pluto of Cleveland.com reported the Cavs are planning to offer Allen a contract extension for no less than $100 million.
They will also be getting another shot at the lottery in what is supposed to be a deep draft of prospects who can offer immediate help. But the draft is always a crapshoot.
Anyway, several former and even legendary Cavs have expressed interest to me in the event the Cavs do make a change in the front office. I tell them the same thing I tell the readers — I have no idea what’s next.
The fact Gilbert has been relatively quiet has some in the building saying they know change is coming. Whether that’s a new GM or someone to have a final say over Altman, Gilbert could indeed make a move.
But everything could remain as is, with Altman getting another chance to turn all that so-called promise into a threatening opponent.
As Pluto pointed out, it is indeed strange that Cavs leadership has yet to hold any sort of season-ending state of the address. Instead, it’s been silence.
That’s not reason for panic or to believe Gilbert intends to blow it up again. But it is strange.
“I called some NBA executives. Two of them called it ‘odd’ how the Cavs skipped the postseason media event because it’s a chance to speak to the fans,” Pluto wrote.
That’s the best way to describe the Cavs overall at the moment. Eerily quiet, and seemingly not really having an idea of what the immediate future holds.
