Cavs The Blog Podcast

The Cavs hosted the Bulls Wednesday night with a new coach at the helm (at least for one night). Greg Buckner, a longtime assistant, got his first shot at being in charge... and his team responded with a wire-to-wire impressive victory over the team just ahead of them in the race for the play in tournament. Sexland led the way with 55 points on blistering 19-30 shooting (7-9 from deep), and the Cavs played some of their most stifling defense of the season in the first half to earn Coach Buck his first victory... and subsequent icewater dousing. To revel in the outcome, Nate, David and the prodigal EvilGenius piled into the podcast booth for a couple hours. We hit all the highlights, spent some time chewing the NBA fat, musing about playoff scenarios and favorites and doing a deep dive into classic sit-com territory for some reason. Your patience will be rewarded if you make it to the end for some DW hot takes on Bea Arthur.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redci

Old friends Nate and EvilGenius squeezes into the podcast booth and looked over the games and more importantly the coming decisions for Cleveland this week and into the future. We discussed whether Andre Drummond would get moved this week, whether we'd see much movement in general, if we'll ever see Kevin Love in a Cavs game again, and the big decisions the Cavs would have to make this offseason. Do the Cavs extend Sexton? How much do they pay Jarrett Allen? Is this "core" sustainable? Is J.B. Bickerstaff the long term answer as head coach? We went around the league to discuss coaching fits, and delved into the Cavs' disastrous head coach hiring history. We pitched a couple albums, picked out current NBA favorites, and decided Larry Nance Jr. and Isaac Okoro really shouldn't share the floor anymore. It was a fun, if slightly ominous time.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

This podcast starts with some devastating news we received Saturday afternoon. Our friend, podcaster, and contributor Ryan Yankee passed away Friday night from heart failure. We will share more news when I have it, and a more fitting tribute to Ryan in the coming days. I'm still raw from the loss. Ryan is someone who'd contributed to the CtB community pretty regularly in the past couple years with recaps, comments, and an effervescent personality on podcasts. He always enjoyed going by the the moniker, "Jude Elysium." This podcast kicks off with the late Michael Stanley's team theme song from the 80's, "Let's Go Cavs," and plays out with Ryan playing guitar on 2012's "Everything I Wanted," by the band Good Touch, Bad Touch. Ryan played in many Cleveland bands in his decades long adventure in the Cleveland music scene, and we hope to share more about his life in the coming days. The Euro classically trained musical CtB contingent, Adam Cathcart and Ben Werth join

David Wood and Nate Smith dared enter the realm of the podcast booth to talk about the Cavs and a variety of other topics. They hit on why the Cavs need to just let it rip from deep, how great Dylan Windler (the South Paw Ginger Kyle Korver) is, Isaac Okoro, how the Cavs are great at post entry passes, who deserves to be in the All-Star game, why Sexton doesn't need to think as much, why Trae Young is the absolute worst, MVP choices, coach of the year, and a ton of other fun topics.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Cavs looked much more prolific from three in this one: 10-32 to the Bucks' 7-22. It was a marked improvement to Wednesday's 10 free throw night, but while the Cavs improved in offensive diversity, they regressed in rebounding: losing that battle 54-36. Between that and trying to stop Giannis (33/12/4) and his ability to take three steps on every dribble, it was tough for the Cavs to keep pace in a fourth quarter that saw them outscored by 15. In that frame, the Bucks turned off the cruise control and hit the gas enough to keep Cleveland at bay. To break it all down, Nate and Ryan braved the cold to man the podcast both. We talked about the last two games, JB's problems coaching offense, the Cavs' poor out of bounds execution, whether the Cavs are tanking, and whether or not  Andre Drummond should be fired into the sun. Towards the end we rebound to get into a little discussion of lizard breeding, twee pop, and Wanda Vision. It was a fun way to spend a Friday night.Advertising Inquiries: https:

The Cavs rolled into Madison Square Garden Friday, clearly thinking they could just flip the switch on the Knicks, yet they found themselves outworked, outplayed and outhustled on defense for one of the few times this season. Not to mention, they had real issues hitting shots both in and out of transition. It’s hard to win games where you log a 33 point half of basketball, or shoot 35% from the field. Yet, the Cavs had a chance to turn this game around following a monster run to start the second half… that is, until poor offensive execution and Immanuel Quickley caught up to them. All in all, it was a very forgettable outing for this young Cavs team, who still have some growing pains to go through on their way to regaining relevance in the NBA… but Nate and EG hopped in the podcast booth to remember the good and the bad of tonight’s game and the previous game against the Pistons. We also delved into the upcoming brutal stretch of February games, what the Cavs should do with Andre Drummond leading up to the tr

Tom and Nate hopped in the booth to instapod and gush over what we just saw: the best performance in the best game by a Cav since the James' trip to La La land. We explored the meaning of "Scary Hours" like two Dads would do and dreamed about whether the Cavs should cash some chips in to chase a playoff spot this season. Collin Sexton might have stolen his new nickname from Drake and the Nets' big three. With Kyrie Irving joining James Harden and Kevin Durant for the trio's first game together, the Cavs paid no attention, Wednesday, to the names on the jerseys, going on a 16-0 run to close the first quarter behind the hot shooting of Cedi Osman. Despite nurturing and watering a lead to a 14 point cushion in the third quarter, the Cavs let the Nets hang around and then paid the price as Brooklyn tied it up, and used shoddy officiating to deny the Cavs a final shot to win it before overtime. In the first OT, all seemed lost when the Cavs trailed by five with about a minute left before crucia

Any time you Podcast with Tom Pestak, It's like you're waking up Bucky Barnes from the cryo chamber as you fill him in on everything that's happened in the NBA since the last time he was on a podcast. Wednesday night was no different, Elijah Kim and Nate Smith filled him in on today's blockbuster trades, out of which the Cavs acquired Jarrett Allen and Taurean Prince. It was certainly a lot of fun as we went long on the implications of this trade, where the Cavs stand, and whether the Cavs will make any more moves. After that we went over the last two clunkers for the Cavs, discussed the veracity of the injury report, pondered the enigma of Kyrie Irving, and lamented the Cavs' absolute dearth of wings. After the NBA talk died down, we got into Nate's embarrassing video conference faux pas, Tom's MRI Journey to Mordor, and Eli's quest to find the Wizard of Za. Now if we can just get Tom back in the freezer and survive the coming polar vortex.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcir

The Cavs ran out of gas against Orlando for the second game in a row, Wednesday. A consistent theme of this game was injuries, as the Cavs were down six guys going into the night, and could be down seven after an ankle injury to Dameyan Dotson limited him to just 15 minutes. But the worst injury of the game came on a fairly innocuous play in the first quarter when Markelle Fultz blew his ACL driving on Isaac Okoro. It was a heartbreaking moment for the kid, and the Magic took it out on Cleveland for the rest of the night. This game wasn't as close as the final score. Cleveland was down 19 by the end of the third quarter, and as much as 23 before garbage time started. As on Monday, Cleveland just didn't have enough scoring and competent NBA bodies to compete with Orlando's depth. Cleveland was running two center lineups and giving major rotation minutes to G-League rookies. Ryan Yankee and Nate Smith broke it all down in the podcast booth: Andre Drummond's foul trouble, Cedi's bad shooting

After a late scratch by Joel Embiid, the Cavs boat raced the unsuspecting Sixers Sunday, and posted another monster second quarter (35 points) to spring to a 14 point halftime lead. They won the final two quarters as well, with their lead ballooning to as much 32 points in a game that may open some eyes around the Association. If there is one thing that has excited Cavs fans in this 3-0 start it's the play of Darius Garland, whos' been absolutely scintillating averaging 19 points and 8.3 assists a game, and leading a team that is second in the NBA in assists. But the real revelation has been Andre Drummond who is playing like a defensive player of the year candidate so far, and whose gravity around the basket is opening up the entire offense for the rest of the Cavs. He's got five blocks and eight steals already in three games to go along with 20/15/4 averages. There's so much to love about this Cavs team so far, and in many ways, it's all falling into place in a "best case scenario

Frohe Weihnachten, Cavs fans!. It's a Christmas Miracle! Ben Werth joined Nate Smith in the podcast booth after a three year absence! Ben, a resident of Germany joined us from Berlin, and we talked all things Cavaliers. The biggest discussion: what will the starting lineup look like. We both concluded that if the Cavs want to win, they'll start Cedi and Okoro over Sexton or Garland (we were split on which one to bench). But since they likely don't want to win, the Cavs will end up starting a pair of tiny Elves at the guard spots. We snuck down and rattled the presents under the tree as we went through the Cavs roster and gave our thoughts on the coming NBA season: who starts, who sits, who makes the rotation. We also weighed in on all the Cavs youngsters: Sexton, Garland, Okoro, KPJ, Dylan Windler, and our not-so-tiny Tims at the end of the bench, Dean Wade and Thon Maker. There was a lot of Cavs to talk through before we even got to the NBA as a whole and walked through a season preview for the E

Isaac Okoro has captured Cavs fans' imaginations with his stellar play so far: the economy of his game, his defense, his ridiculously overbuilt NBA body, and most importantly, his ability to make winning plays look effortless. As such, the winning slogan of the 1952 presidential election is also the titular theme of this podcast. Ryan Yankee joined Nate in the podcast booth to gush over the young rook and break down the Cavs preseason so far. (Though Nate stressed small sample size). We walked through the most recent preseason games, and analyzed the likes of Dylan Windler, Darius Garland, Cedi Osman, Andre Drummond, Thon Maker, and Dean Wade. We also made fun of Tom Thibodeau, puzzled over the Pacers, and gave big props to J.B. Bickerstaff. It's a fun walk through the Cavs preseason and we can't wait for the the regular season to Kick off.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Tom, Nate, and Eli make a long awaited return to the podcast booth! This was a fun one, as we discussed a whirlwind NBA offseason, the Cavs' draft and free agency, and all the news from around the NBA. Tom Pestak has been decidedly out of the loop when it comes to NBA news, so we added a couple games to make the proceedings more fun, and to get Tom up to speed. Tom took a swing at the game made famous by the Chuckster on Inside the NBA, "Who He Play For," as Tom tried to  guess some of the NBA free agent moves. In "Real or Fake" he tried to figure out if some of these NBA names like Facundo Campazzo were real or made up. Tom topped that off with a Kafka-esque tale of trying to shop health care options, while Nate and Eli expressed their biggest regrets (Nate's involves a planetarium, Eli's a PS5). It was a fun and random ride as these long time compadres celebrated a return to NBA action.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com

THE CAVS WIN THE LOTTERY AGAIN! Ok. They didn't technically win the lottery. But hopefully all the players I hate will be gone by the time they pick at number five. David Wood, Elija Kim, and Nate Smith live-podded the lottery, and then Jude Elysiam (Ryan) subbed out for David to mock the whole draft. That was just the start of the marathon as we broke down the Cavs roster and figured out who would remain a Cav after the coming off-season and at the end of the next season. Then we picked the current playoff series. WHEW. It was a marathon. Here's our mock draft. Tune in to listen to us break down all the picks. Timberwolves: Anthony Edwards Warriors: James Wiseman Hornets: LaMelo Ball Bulls: Tyrese Haliburton Cavs: Deni Avdija Hawks: Devin Vassel Pistons: Killian Hayes Knicks: Onyeka Okongwu Wizards: Obi Toppin Suns: Isaac Okoro Spurs: Aaron Nesmith Kings: Aleksej Pokuševski Pelicans: Patrick Williams Celtics: Saddiq Bey Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPri

Lamenting our stasis and the state of the national conversation, Nate Smith and Tom Pestak jumped into the virtual podcast booth to try to get back into a Cavalier mood. They started out taking bets on whether the NBA would resume this season, and then talked a little about the only NBA topic of late. ESPN's The Last Dance documentary and the Jordan era Bulls spurred a discussion of how Jordan would do in today's era, and then what a lousy teammate he was. It sparked an interesting follow-up: who is the least liked great Cleveland athlete? For Tom, it's a pivotal member of the Cavs' championship. For Nate it's probably a Cleveland Brown great. We dove deeper into ranks, breaking down ESPN's top 10 and top 40 NBA all time list as we talked about the greats. We both thought Kobe was a leetle high at 9, and that Nash was way too high at 30. That led us down a road of ranking the all-time Cavs and reviewing how our 2014 #CavsRank list holds up. We discussed the rankings and how key guys fr

If you want an in depth discussion around Covid-19 from someone who actually knows what he's talking about, this is the podcast for you. Long time CtB die-hard, Simmo, just happens to be a viral immunologist, and we saved up a couple weeks worth of questions and topics around Covid-19 to bounce off his brain. This is our least basketball-centric, and most educational podcast ever. Buckle up for Covid-19 homeschool.  We started out with an update on the homeschool situation, the TP situation, and the Covid-19 situation in Simmo's native Australia and what the response there looks like right now (with a sidebar on Australian History and Politics). Then we got into what the curve looks like around the world. Then we plunged into the weeds, man. Transmission Rates (R values) and what the spread Covid 19 might look like and how our view of the virus could be changing. The thinking has really changed asymptomatic carriers being major spreaders The recommendation is to wear masks when out of the house n

We were joined by long time listener, first time caller, Jason as we discussed the TP situation in the Pestak household, what's it like to homeschool, and how we're all keeping sane. Next up, we talked about the economy and what the new normal might look like in terms of player salaries and the financial future of the NBA. We discussed what the playoffs might look like if they do occur for 2020. We got into our favorite Covid-19 memes, and then talked about the insanity that is the Netflix tour-de-force, Tiger King. After that we got into Mike DeWine, the DeWine family, and Greene county politics. It was a lot of fun. Stay safe out there, peeps.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Wow. What a few weeks it's been for the Cavs, as they've gone 5-6 since the all star break and have played their best ball of the season... a season that likely will be cut short by a global pandemic. Yep. Talk of "the Roni," as some of the kids are calling it, featured heavily in our first podcast in a month. Tom and Nate desperately needed to get into the podcast booth to talk about the surreal times we're living in, and we hope you're jonesing for some content to get you through the long hours of social distancing. First off, Tom's out of TP. Second, Nate's trying not to horde, but compulsively shopping whenever he can (though not excessively). Don't worry, though, your tapwater will be the same Monday as it was last week, and next week the shelves of your happy grocers will be stocked again. (Pro Tip: check out your local Asian grocery if you're short on supplies. And yeah, we just mostly just had some "WTF is going on, and why has Nate been so OCD about all thi

To celebrate a rare victory, Nate Smith and Tom Pestak welcomed our prodigal brother Eli Kim back to the podcast booth after an eight month absence! Yep, the fingers behind @CavsTheTweets was in studio and we covered topics ranging as far afield as a Trae Young three point attempt. We covered the brutal Clips loss, and the jubilant win against Atlanta, and then oscillated wildly: Korean cinema (go see Parasite!); what players have been in the dunk contest and the three point contest; how we see the playoffs shaping up; why do the Cavs keep nominating Collin Sexton for player of the month; what makes The Office so good; why is Vince Carter on the Hawks; the Cavs being a top ten revenue team; and so so much more.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Nate Smith, David Wood, and Tom Pestak slunk to the podcast boost and lamented the lost opportunity against the Knicks. Nate spent a lot of time ranting about John Beilein. David Wood wondered whether coach was a plant to lose games. All agreed that Kev really was playing his butt off to get out of dodge. We complained about the game's horrendous officiating full of moments that literally would've been personal fouls in the NFL. We growled at the Knicks pinball bumper lineup of power forwards that seem straight out of a 2K video game. In brighter news, the Super Bowl brought good memories to Nate, and we spent a good deal of time reminiscing about the commercials, J-Lo and Shakira, Patrick Mahomes' brilliance. We then got on the subject of the insane pyramid scheme recruiting email Nate had received and how the folks at SOS Success Dynamics really captured the Zeitgeist of this Cavs squad. We're still hoping for "maximum spillover" and that the Cavs will "cycle" soon, despite h