CLEVELAND, Ohio \u2014 The Cavs built their original identity around their towering frontcourt duo of Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley. But what if their similar personalities are actually holding the team back?<\/p>\n
That\u2019s the provocative question raised in the latest episode of Wine and Gold Talk podcast, where cleveland.com columnist Jimmy Watkins asks: \u201cJarrett Allen and Evan Mobley, are they too similar in their makeup? Can you have two gentle giants on your team and bring the kind of \u2018alpha energy\u2019 that high level playoff basketball winning requires?\u201d<\/p>\n
This question strikes at the heart of the Cavs\u2019 roster construction philosophy. <\/p>\n
While much debate has centered on whether the two big men can coexist offensively, this podcast explores a different angle \u2013 whether their shared demeanors create a fundamental leadership vacuum.<\/p>\n
Host Ethan Sands doesn\u2019t mince words in his assessment: \u201cMy answer to that would be no. I have been banging the drum all summer that the Cavs have needed an enforcer.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sands points to a specific contrast in how players can separate their on-court and off-court personas. \u201cI do not think having two soft spoken, nice guy, easygoing big men in today\u2019s NBA, which is changing once again, is optimal for the success in the playoffs of the Cleveland Cavaliers,\u201d he asserts.<\/p>\n
He cites veteran big man Steven Adams as the prototype of what Cleveland lacks \u2013 someone who maintains respectability off the court while establishing boundaries on it. \u201cSteven Adams is a great guy, a very nice guy and one that is respected around the NBA because if you mess with somebody on his team he is going to check you,\u201d Sands explains.<\/p>\n
Watkins acknowledges the dilemma but highlights the practical challenges of addressing it. \u201cIf you were to say, \u2018we gotta break these guys up,\u2019 obviously if you\u2019re picking one, you\u2019re picking Evan Mobley … You have to [then] be careful with who you replace Jarrett Allen with.\u201d<\/p>\n
This creates a nearly impossible wish list. Find someone with Allen\u2019s defensive skills and rim protection who costs less money yet brings the enforcer mentality the team lacks.<\/p>\n
Perhaps the solution lies within. <\/p>\n
Watkins suggests: \u201cWhat if the answer is Evan Mobley does all the things that you want Jarrett Allen to do eventually? Like Evan Mobley is the guy who stays locked in all the time. Evan Mobley is the guy who sets the tone.\u201d<\/p>\n
The conversation raises fundamental questions about what it takes to win at the highest level in today\u2019s NBA. <\/p>\n
Is it possible to reach championship heights without an enforcer-type personality in your frontcourt? Or will the Cavaliers\u2019 gentle giants need to find a fiercer on-court persona to maximize their championship window?<\/p>\n
As the new season approaches, the answer to this personality puzzle might determine whether Cleveland can finally break through its playoff ceiling or if roster changes will become inevitable.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s the podcast for this week:<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement<\/a> and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and\/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"CLEVELAND, Ohio \u2014 The Cavs built their original identity around their towering frontcourt duo of Jarrett Allen and…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":115985,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[574],"tags":[64,63,726,85],"class_list":["post-115984","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-basketball","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-basketball","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/115984","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=115984"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/115984\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/115985"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=115984"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=115984"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=115984"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}