Cavaliers end playoff drought; fans should thank Koby Altman | Jeff Schudel
Mar. 27—Koby Altman, take a bow.
The Cavaliers officially stepped out of LeBron James' gigantic shadow on March 26 when they hammered the Houston Rockets, 108-91, to clinch a playoff spot for the first time since 2018 when James led them to a fourth straight NBA Finals before leaving Cleveland to sign with the Lakers.
Not only that. A quarter century has passed since the last time the Cavs made the playoffs without James being part of the team. The last James-less Cavs team to see the postseason was the 1997-98 squad that finished sixth in the East at 47-35. They were eliminated by the Pacers, 3-1, in a best-of-five first-round series.
Atman, now the president of basketball operations for the Cavaliers, was the team's general manager when James decided to take his talents to the left coast. Altman drafted wisely and traded shrewdly without skimping or cutting corners to build the present day Cavaliers. He hired the right coach in J.B. Bickerstaff to guide a young team.
"Organizationally, this is a big deal," Bickerstaff said after beating the Rockets. "To come from where we came from and every year continue to take steps in a positive direction — all the hard work that people in this organization put in to get us here should be acknowledged.
"Koby, (general manager) Mike Gansey, the front office crew ... they work tirelessly to find not only talent, but the right type of people to fit in and be a part of this. Our coaching staff should be acknowledged for their development and the time they put in with guys — the hours nobody sees that they're with them to help them get better, being there for them when things aren't as good as we'd like them to be, having to bear and carry some of their emotions as well.
"And obviously our guys. Our guys have bought into something bigger than themselves. It's unique for a young team to do that at such a rapid pace. Typically, young guys are so worried about figuring out themselves that the team is secondary."
Altman drafted Darius Garland, Isaac Okoro and Evan Mobley. He acquired Jarrett Allen, Caris LeVert and Donovan Mitchell through trades.
Evan Mobley blocks a shot by Houston's Kevin Porter Jr. during the Cavaliers' win March 26. (Ron Schwane ??
Altman signed Lamar Stevens when Stevens went undrafted in 2020. Stevens doesn't play every night, but when he does, he always seems to make plays that help the Cavaliers win, whether with his defensive hustle or aggressive rebounding. Ricky Rubio, another Altman acquisition, is 32 and a veteran whose experience should be valuable off the bench in the playoffs.
The Cavs finished 50-32 and fourth in the East in 2018 in James' final season in Cleveland. They finished 19-63 in 2019, 19-46 in 2020 (the season was halted because of COVID) and 22-50 in 2021.
Acquiring Allen via trade with the Nets in January of 2021 and then drafting Mobley seven months later accelerated the Cavs' development. They finished 44-38 last season but missed the playoffs because they were knocked out in the play-in tournament. They don't have to bother with the play-in pressure this year. They are currently 48-28 and fourth in the East — two games behind the third-place 76ers and 5.5 games ahead of the slumping Knicks with six games to play.
"I hope our guys expected this, so it wasn't a surprise to them," Bickerstaff said. "They have bigger things in front of them. This is a start for us to be able to clinch a playoff spot, but as we think about this and as we put this team together, we all have one end-goal.
"Those end goals don't happen overnight, so we have to continue to get better. We have to continue to grow — coaches, players, everybody. That's why we say we're not a finished product."
Trading for Mitchell was Altman's boldest move. He shipped guard Collin Sexton (through a sign and trade), forward Lauri Markkanen, guard Ochai Agbaji plus three future unprotected first round draft picks (2025, 2027, 2029) to Utah for Mitchell. The Cavs and Jazz also agreed to swap picks in 2026 and 2028.
Trading for superstars can be risky business. Just look at the wreckage Kyrie Irving left behind with the Celtics and Nets. But Mitchell, who seemed destined for the Knicks before Altman made the Jazz an offer they couldn't refuse, has that team-first mentality Bickerstaff said is so important.
The Jazz made the playoffs all five years Mitchell was in Utah. They are currently 12th in the West, so it looks like their playoff streak is over. Mitchell is in his first year with the Cavs and what should turn into a new playoff streak is just beginning.
"I told the guys in (the locker room) this is what you should just come to expect," Mitchell said after beating the Rockets. "We should come to a point now where it's expected of us making the playoffs and continuously being here and continuously pushing forward. "
Mitchell, by the way, is the only Cavaliers starter that was alive the last time the Cavs made the team sans James. Mitchell was 17 months old.
