Late rally falls short-Cavaliers lose to Minnesota

     An injury-plagued Cleveland Cavalier team allowed the visiting Minnesota Timberwolves to build a huge lead of twenty-three points in the third quarter before a furious comeback allowed Cedi Osman's three-pointer to tie the game with under thirty-four seconds remaining in the contest.

However, Karl-Anthony Towns popped in a three-pointer on the following possession to give the visiting Timberwolves a 127-122 victory.

Kevin Love and Cedi Osman led Cleveland in scoring from the bench with 26 and 21 points, while Jarrett Allen added 21 points and Evan Mobley (15 pts 10 rebounds) and Brandon Goodwin (17 points 12 assists) each contributed double-doubles for the evening.

Cleveland will host Charlotte Wednesday night in the final of their three games at home.

Swashbucklings

1) The incredible comeback that fell just short shows just how much fun this Cavaliers team has been to watch this season.

They are never out of a game, they always try to keep coming forward no matter the deficit, and go to show the old adage that hustle never takes a night off is an apt one.

2) The Cavaliers played this game without Rajan Rondo to add to the missing Darius Garland and Caris LeVert and the backcourt depth is stretched to its max.

I am not sure playing Brandon Goodwin thirty-five minutes a night is viable long-term and unless the Cavaliers want to sign an out-of-work free agent that may have to get into shape, there is no one available to help out until players recover.

3) Kevin Love was the key in the comeback with five three-pointers (ten attempts) and Love scored eighteen of his twenty-six points in the second half.

4) Cleveland signed well-traveled veteran Tim Frazier before the game and Frazier hit his only shot in four minutes of action.

5) Cedi Osman's three-pointer that tied the game brought the crowd down with noise that was deafening that came through even to the television viewer.

Osman's evening off the bench was an excellent one but I admit to wincing a little when the injuries in the backcourt have resulted in Osman bringing the ball upcourt and handling the ball so much under pressure.

Cavaliers acquire Ricky Rubio

   The Cleveland Cavaliers addresses a large need a few hours before the NBA Draft when they acquired veteran guard Ricky Rubio from the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for guard Taurean Prince, a 2022 second-round pick acquired from Washington, and an undisclosed amount of cash.

The 31-year-old Rubio is expected to replace Matthew Dellavedova as the veteran backup to Darius Garland at point guard after Dellavedova decided to return to his native Australia to play next season.

Rubio spent the first six seasons of his career with Minnesota before moving to Utah for two and then Phoenix for one before returning to the Timberwolves for the 2020-21 season when he averaged a career-low 8.6 points with 6.4 assists per game, playing twenty-six minutes a game which was also a career-low.

Rubio is currently playing for Spain in the Tokyo Olympics as their point guard.

Rubio isn't a great shooter ( only 39 percent for his career and 32 percent from three-point range) but he is an excellent passer with great floor vision and seems to be a good fit with a Cavalier team that could have big men that will need to see the ball that includes Kevin Love, who played extremely well with Rubio in Minnesota, Larry Nance Jr, Jarrett Allen (should Cleveland keep him from restricted free agency) and possibly Evan Mobley, should the Cavaliers select him as rumored in the draft.

Rubio will make 17.8 million next season as the final year of a three-year deal that he signed with Phoenix in 2019, which is an overpay for the production that Rubio gave the Timberwolves last season, but the Cavaliers had some space to squeeze Rubio under the cap and the expiring deal could give Rubio some value at the trade deadline next season.

Taurean Prince averaged ten points a game for Cleveland and just under four rebounds in twenty-nine games after being obtained with Jarrett Allen from Brooklyn in a mid-season trade.

Prince looked to be an odd man among forwards in Cleveland for next season and his contract was needed to make the trade work under the cap to land Rubio.  

Ricky Rubio isn't going to turn the Cavaliers into winners, but he's a nice off the bench piece at this stage of his career, and considering the minimal cost to bring him into the fold, I'm OK with the trade.

Cavaliers gain revenge- Trim Timberwolves 100-98

    Jarrett Allen scored 23 points, grabbed 18 rebounds, and blocked five shots in his first start as a Cleveland Cavalier as the Cavaliers avenged their loss in Minnesota with a 100-98 victory over the Timberwolves in Cleveland.

Collin Sexton finished as the team leader with 26 points, while Darius Garland scored 19 points and dished out 11 assists for the victorious Cavaliers.

Cleveland improves to 10-11 with the win and will host the Los Angeles Clippers Wednesday.

Swashbucklings

1) Jarrett Allen was tremendous in the victory with his numbers and he makes me feel very confident in the Cavaliers' future at center and in the event that the team trades Andre Drummond before the end of the season.

2) Andre Drummond missed the game with a "sore back" to allow Allen to receive the start. 

Drummond did receive a pounding in Minnesota Sunday evening, and this could be a load management issue, but I also wonder if Drummond's trade talks are starting to warm up a bit?

3) The most exciting play of the game came when Darius Garland lobbed the ball up with Jarrett Allen leaping from midway up the lane to grab the pass and slam it through the net with one hand for the dunk.

That play had me up and cheering from the couch!

4) Jarrett Allen has similarities to Andre Drummond, but there are differences.
Allen is far better at the pick and roll game than Drummond and he is more versatile in the lane as too.

Allen can play a bit farther from the basket and doesn't take up the type of space in the lane that Drummond does, which opens the lane for...

5) More drives and drive and passes for Collin Sexton and Darius Garland.

Allen's game is more modern than Andre Drummond, who is more of a traditional big man, and that allows the smaller playmakers like Sexton and Garland more space to operate.

That also results in more ball movement with everyone involved in the offense rather than standing and around and watching in isolation.

6) Every game even against bad teams like Minnesota is a grind right now.

Larry Nance Jr, missed another game with wrist soreness, Kevin Love remains on the injured list, and without Andre Drummond, Cleveland is very vulnerable with three of their top big men not on the floor.

Foul issues or another injury make every game treacherous inside for Cleveland and there are no gimmes at this time as their 1-1 record vs the lowly Timberwolves show.

Cavaliers Cold in Minnesota, lose 109-104

 The Cleveland Cavaliers played one excellent half of basketball and one lazy half and guess which one won the day?

Lazy as the Minnesota Timberwolves, who had won two of their most recent sixteen games defeated Cleveland 109-104 in Minneapolis.

Andre Drummond scored 25 points and grabbed 22 rebounds with Darius Garland adding 27 points.

The sluggish Cavaliers will receive a rematch with the Timberwolves tonight in Cleveland.

Swashbucklings

1) Andre Drummond was very effective in the first half as the Cavaliers dumped the ball down on the block to Drummond with Minnesota struggling to guard him without Karl-Anthony Towns or backup Naz Reid active.

2) But in the second half, Drummond didn't seem like he could buy a shot and Cleveland seemed out of sync on offense with occasions that saw players arguing with each other about being in the wrong place with the ball not moving where the play was called.

3) The Cavaliers committed a major strategic blunder late in the game with Minnesota leading by six and under thirty seconds remaining, the Cavaliers allowed the Timberwolves to run the time down before missing their shot leaving less than ten seconds remaining in the game.

You have to foul in that situation and hope to prolong the game- Cleveland didn't.

4) Cleveland also didn't play with their normal defensive intensity in the second half.

DeAngelo Russell nailed a wide-open three late in the game with Larry Nance Jr and Cedi Osman near Russell and neither making a move toward Russell, thinking the other man had Russell guarded.

I look for a better defensive effort tonight against the same Timberwolves team.

5) Minnesota hit 16 of 40 from three-point range with Cleveland connecting on only four of sixteen from beyond the arc.

The difference in attempts can be partially explained by the tactics involved with getting the ball to Andre Drummond, but allowing forty percent effectiveness cannot be passed around to anything other than bad defense.

6) Isaac Okoro scored a career-high 13 points on six for ten shooting.

Okoro has begun to take the ball into the lane more and that should help the shooting percentage along with developing another wrinkle to his offensive game.