Donovan Mitchell's comments last night were grounded in reality and rooted in empathy I wrote about politics in sports, Mitchell's leadership, and the importance of building a community

Cavs head coach Kenny Atkinson speaks on ICE shootings in Minnesota: “You have to have empathy for what’s going on in that community”

Kenny Atkinson provided a brief injury update on Darius Garland:

Two very encouraging games from the Cavs We've had to search hard for optimism this season, but not after a win like that

Tonight was Jaylon Tyson's SIXTH game of 19+ points on above 70% FG this season - 24 points on 73% FG vs SAS - 27 points on 77% FG vs IND - 23 points on 75% FG vs MIN - 19 points on 72% FG vs BOS - 21 points on 80% FG vs CHI And now 39 points on 76% FG vs PHI

Since 2020, only Joel Embiid and Scottie Barnes have averaged 1.5+ blocks and 4+ assists in a season Evan Mobley and Derrick White are currently on track to join them this season

Congrats, De'Andre Hunter. You're back in our good graces (for now)

Evan Mobley has the most blocks in the NBA (25) since December 29th 🔒 Starting to look like the DPOY again

Darius Garland is slowly starting to look more like his old self #Cavs Kenny Atkinson explained the changes he’s noticing as the season goes on:

Late Christmas gift from Jackson really makes Rocket Arena feel more like home

They're saying it's the saddest that things have ever been

Good vibes are back on the menu in Cleveland

Kenny Atkinson said Darius Garland is going to try playing tonight He’s currently on the floor warming up

Darius Garland's last four games: - 26 points, 9 assists - 15 points, 6 assists (meh) - 35 points, 8 assists - 27 points, 10 assists (tonight) DG the PG is back 🔥

Shout out to De'Andre Hunter, the Cavs really needed him to wake up, and this has been a stellar performance

Well, I've defended this Cavs group through many failures But they are all out of excuses. The breaking point is rapidly approaching

The Cavs are still in the top 10 for both offense and defense Only four other teams (Houston, OKC, Minnesota, Detroit) are in the top 10 for both It's crazy how much worse it feels

I'm usually a bigger picture type of guy, but I'm hyperfocusing on the next 2-3 weeks for the Cavs The future of this squad very much hinges on whether or not they can survive the next few weeks

If you look at what made last year's Cavs so special (or even the Pacers in the playoffs), it was their cohesion They played a specific brand of basketball, stuck to every detail of their plan, and every single player was on the same page You can win a lot of games that way

If I had to simplify all of the Cavs' issues: - Lack of focus - Poor communication - Iffy effort - Inexperience from the younger guys - Awful 3PT shooting - Injuries Put into one word: disjointed

NBA history might not be kind to teams like the Cavs. But recent trends have been more unpredictable Only 4 teams have won a title in the 21st century with a regular season win% below .65 3/4 have come in the 2020s www.fearthesword.com/cavs-analysi...

The Cavs are 8th in halfcourt defense but 22nd in transition defense off of live rebounds They are 1st in 3PAs but 22nd in 3PT%. They miss more 3PAs than any team in the NBA This season will feel a lot better if they start hitting some 3PTs

Here’s what the #Cavs have to do better according to Donovan Mitchell:

The Cavs are shooting 14-52 (27%) at halftime. They've gone 3-21 (14%) from downtown

Jaylon Tyson has scored 65 points on 27-37 shooting (72%) over his last three games

Jaylon al Gaib with 19 points on 9-10 shooting

This was before Wednesday’s game, but I thought this was an interesting moment from Kenny on the #Cavs process: “We’ve realized we gotta make some adjustments… you can’t keep banging your head against the wall, if it’s really hurting us we have to adjust”

The Cavs might be in trouble... in this video I talked about: 🏀 Injuries 🏀 Poor 3PT shooting 🏀 The delicate balance of the core 4 youtu.be/ZCDu85yLScQ

Plenty of things to be concerned about, but I don't see a realistic path for the Cavs this season if Darius Garland doesn't get healthier

Kenny Atkinson on the Cavs 3PAs tonight: "We've got some guys struggling right now... I would have loved to go in for layups or drive it."

Rocket Arena is officially booing the Cavs going into that timeout No one is happy with this lackluster effort

This sums up the Lonzo Ball experience in Cleveland so far He's shooting 24-88 (27%) from deep and only gets to the rim 3 times per 40 minutes

Jaylon Tyson earns the Cavs' respect: 'He's a little crazy.' www.fearthesword.com/cavs-analysi...

“He’s a little crazy — the vets respect him” Kenny Atkinson on #Cavs sophomore Jaylon Tyson calling out the team for their lack of effort

Player Grades: Cavs at Pacers - Donovan Mitchell's 43 points lead the way www.fearthesword.com/cavs-analysi...

27 points (10-13 FG), 11 rebounds and 4 assists from Jaylon Tyson tonight Backed up everything he said

Winners and Losers: Cavs at Pacers - Jaylon Tyson torches Indiana www.fearthesword.com/cavs-analysi...

This is Donovan Mitchell's 22nd game with 40+ points for the Cavs LeBron James, of course, leads the franchise with 51 such games. Kyrie Irving is third with 11. No one else has more than 5

Jaylon Tyson is SCORCHING right now 27 points on 10-12 shooting

I recapped the Cavs' 21 games so far: 🏀 The Good 🏀 The Bad 🏀 The Ugly Full video on YouTube

Jaylon Tyson vented some frustrations that I know are shared by many Cavs fans right now This team isn’t playing with any hunger — and that’s inexcusable

Donovan Mitchell says he doesn't want to dunk as often this season in order to protect his body But hey, he's still got it

Kenny Atkinson isn't happy with the #Cavs transition defense, and neither are we www.fearthesword.com/cavs-analysi...

The Cavs had nearly perfect health last regular season This year? It’s been a roller coaster Kenny Atkinson explained how that impacts his rotations — and why he trusts the young guys to step up tonight

Kenny Atkinson provided an injury update for #Cavs center Jarrett Allen

Welp, I was not happy with how Evan Mobley played tonight

Jaylon Tyson has gotten a bunch of opportunities to catch and create out of the short-roll tonight The results haven't been good, but I'd love to see him develop this part of his game

The #Cavs are still trying to find a balance for Evan Mobley Here’s Kenny Atkinson talking about that process so far:

The Cavs will need the Power of Friendship to win in Toronto tonight Hoping for fun games from Tomlin and Proctor. I'd REALLY love to see a big scoring night from Evan Mobley

Donovan Mitchell is having one of the best seasons in #Cavs history. Point blank period.