Cavs Corner, Week 0: Powder blue sky's the limit
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New head coach Kenny Atkinson is all of us. Photo: Nic Antaya/Getty Images
The Cleveland Cavaliers begin their 2024-2025 season in Toronto Wednesday evening, which means it's time to re-introduce Cavs Corner, our weekly hoops dispatch.
Why it matters: The Guards missed the World Series and the Browns are a slag heap on a dumpster fire.
- But Cleveland is a sports town. We'll see you at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
We don't want to inundate you with breathless Cavs content daily, so we'll keep you apprised of the ongoing season and its storylines every Wednesday morning.
Record: (0-0)
The big picture: Coming off a second-round playoff exit to the Boston Celtics last season, the Cavs hired a new head coach — Kenny Atkinson, a brilliant offensive schemer from the Golden State Warriors — and brought back the entire rotation.
Vibe check: If not immaculate, then certainly close.
- National pundits predict a stellar regular season, fueled by the maturity of rising stars like Evan Mobley and better health luck for players like Darius "My Joy is Back" Garland.
- Rookie Jaylon Tyson is, by all accounts, a Swiss Army knife who could vie for rotation minutes immediately.
The latest: Starting small forward Max Strus sprained his ankle after landing awkwardly on a coach's foot during shooting drills last week. He's expected to miss six weeks.
- Atkinson says Dean Wade and Caris LeVert are likely to start in his place and will be deployed based on matchups.
👀 What we're watching: The "core four" of Mitchell, Garland, Mobley and Jarrett Allen are currently signed to multi-year deals.
- They're expensive players, and if Atkinson can't find ways to harmonize their skill sets, the front office may be compelled to explore trades.
📺 ICYMI: All games this year will once again stream on FanDuel Sports Network Ohio (formerly Bally Sports Ohio), with John Michael, Brad Daugherty and Serena Winters as the primary broadcast crew.
- Austin Carr, in his 27th season as commentator, will host the "Cavaliers Live" pre- and post-game shows, and will join Michael courtside for select games.
💠Sam's predictions: Cavs win 50+ games and earn a top-three seed in the Eastern Conference.
- Donovan Mitchell is named to the All-NBA Second Team.
- Tyson is named to the All-Rookie Second Team.
- Mobley places third in Defensive Player of the Year voting (behind Victor Wembanyama and Bam Adebayo).
One fun thing: The Cavs teased their "City Edition" alternate uniforms in an Instagram post this week.
- Inspired by the Cleveland Museum of Art, they are powder blue and feature "The Land" across the chest.
What's next: Wednesday at Toronto; Friday vs. Detroit; Saturday at Washington; Monday at New York.