Random dribbles about Cavaliers general manager Koby Altman and the buzz about him being on the hot seat (including some in this very space).
1. Altman has done nothing to deserve to be fired. He doesn’t even deserve a failing a grade. When you look at Altman’s body of work since LeBron James left in 2018, he probably warrants a solid “C,” or even a “C-plus.”
2. It’s hard to know exactly what happened with Kevin Porter Jr., but it’s a bad look for the Cavs at the moment. Porter has been playing well and staying out of trouble with the Houston Rockets. There have been no dramas. Altman basically gave away Porter for nothing.
3. So that situation was probably mismanaged — though only time will tell. Porter slipped to No. 30 in the draft because of questions about his character. He clearly overreacted when the Cavs moved his locker. But trading him seemed to be based on things getting personal, as opposed to it being a business decision.
4. We won’t spend any more time on that, but it does seem like the Cavs gave up on Porter much too soon. He is exactly the type of explosive young wing they need.
5. Other than that, what has Altman really done wrong? It’s true that the Andre Drummond contract buyout was a disappointment. But it was also to be expected. The reason the Detroit Pistons were willing to give up on Drummond, and trade him to the Cavs in February 2020, was because they knew this was coming.
6. When it comes to Drummond, it was never about talent. It had everything to do with his contract, an expiring deal worth nearly $28 million.
7. Altman wanted to trade Drummond and really tried. But the right deal just wasn’t out there. The best Altman could do is saddle the Cavs with bad contracts in exchange. He deserves credit for avoiding that, and just cutting Drummond loose and getting some flexibility under the cap.
8. Fans hate to hear this, but Altman’s big trade came when the Cavs acquired Jarrett Allen from the Brooklyn Nets in mid-January. That was an absolute steal of a deal. Allen is the center of the future and perhaps the most promising of the all the young players, a group that also includes leading scorer Collin Sexton.
9. Yes, it’s starting to look like the Cavs whiffed on Dylan Windler … but so what. Windler was a late first-round pick. Any team is downright lucky to find a major contributor where Windler was drafted (26th overall). Plus, the guy is still just a rookie.
10. Basically, Altman has had a few misses, but the core four of Sexton, Allen, Darius Garland and Isaac Okoro is a decent start. The jury really is out on all those guys. They have been up-and-down, which makes them similar to the majority of young NBA players. The good news is, there’s been some “up” in there.
11. Granted, there are fair questions about whether you can win big with starting guards who each stand 6-foot-1 on a good day. There are also questions about Okoro and whether he’ll be an impactful player down the road.
12. There are actually questions about everything, period. But this is just the time for questions when it comes to the Cavs. That’s just where they are as a franchise– and that’s no crime.
13. Now, the growing fan irritation toward Altman and the Cavs is somewhat understandable. Everything is spun as a positive. Cavs management has always been PR-savvy. It might be better to just be honest and sometimes admit, “We blew it.”
14. And the Cavs’ plan cannot be to continuously tout “internal growth,” then take stabs at random borderline All-Stars such as Drummond. As things stand today, the Cavs still lack an elite player who can change the course of the franchise.
15. They absolutely know that, regardless of what they might say or convince the media to spin for them.
16. The Cavs can realistically land a franchise-changer in one of two ways — either in the draft, or by trading players in the aforementioned “core four.” (Or Larry Nance Jr.) But so far, those types of deals have not been made available. But if they can land a young All-Star in a trade, and have to give up a Sexton or Garland to get there, they have to do it. And they would.
17. More likely, Altman will have to land another lottery pick and hope the ping-pong balls bounce his way. What the Cavs can’t really afford is another fifth overall pick. When they play the lottery again, they had better hope they get lucky and fall into the top three.
18. We could go on and on, round and round. But right now, the biggest argument against Altman is how the Porter situation unfolded. It’s hard to say that alone is a fireable offense. Other than that, Altman just hasn’t had the luck he’s needed in the lottery.
19. Bottom line: So far, the Cavs are better than last season, and they are doing it with four starters who are between the ages of 20 and 22. That’s all you can ask, given where the Cavs have drafted, an entire spate of injuries and other general obstacles.
20. But Altman has to lose the idea of benching players until they’re traded or bought out. That has been a terrible look for the franchise and weighs heavily on the players who remain — not to mention is a major turnoff for prospective free agents.
21. Finally, some extremely telling moves await Altman and the Cavs. They will soon have to pay Allen, a restricted free agent. They will soon really have to pay Sexton. And another lottery pick is on the way. How that business is handled will be how Altman should really be judged.
22. So far, Altman hasn’t made all the right moves. But nothing ever comes easily when LeBron walks away for nothing. Despite fan irritation and outside hot takes, the Cavs really are in a decent place. They have four young players that, at worst, deserve more time. Given everything else, that’s not so terrible.
