What we learned during 2023 Cleveland Cavaliers Media Day | Follow along for live updates

CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Cavaliers hosted their annual Media Day on Monday at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, as they prepare to start training camp for the 2023-24 regular season.

This will be a much-anticipated season for the Cavs, who returned to the playoffs in April for the first time since LeBron James left for the Los Angeles Lakers following Cleveland's trip to the 2018 NBA Finals. After being eliminated in the first round by the New York Knicks, the Cavs will open the upcoming season with high expectations. They are scheduled to appear on 17 nationally televised games.

The Cavs begin the regular season on Oct. 25 against the Brooklyn Nets.

Check below for what we learned during media day from Cavs players, president of basketball operations Koby Altman and coach J.B. Bickerstaff.

Jarrett Allen addresses the big-picture outlook for the 2023-24 Cleveland Cavaliers

Center Jarrett Allen provided a spot-on summary of what the next step should be for the Cavaliers in the upcoming season.

“We're going to be graded on our playoff performances now,” Allen said.

The Cavs earned the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference and home-court advantage this past spring with a regular-season record of 51-31. However, they were bounced from the first round of playoffs in a 4-1 series defeat against the Knicks.

The Cavs were simply overpowered.

“Things just didn't go as planned in the playoffs and they out-physicaled us,” Allen said.

Allen doesn't blame fans for criticizing how the Cavs played against the Knicks.

“I did the smart thing after the playoffs, and I deleted my social media apps,” Allen said. “People can clown people on deleting the apps, but I think that was a smart thing to do on my part.”

Cavs All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell says he won't sign contract extension this year

All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell is under contract with the Cavaliers for the next two seasons and has a $37 million player option for 2025-26.

Mitchell is eligible to sign an extension now, but he said if he were to commit to the Cavs long term, it wouldn't happen until next summer at the earliest.

"If I were to, it would be next summer," Mitchell said, adding he has addressed his approach with Altman.

Mitchell said his strategy is not mainly a financial decision.

"My primary focus is this: Just trying to go out there and trying to be the best team we can be and bring a championship to the city and then go from there," Mitchell said. "I've addressed this with Koby and everybody over there. I can still do it, still sign this extension, and I'm excited for what we've got going forward."

Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley reveals he has gained 7 pounds of muscle in the offseason

Cavs forward Evan Mobley said improving his physicality was an offseason priority for him.

To that end, Mobley invested in a nutrition program and a home gym. Mobley said he has a personal chef, and his go-to meals are pasta and steak. Mobley said the gym contains all of the weight-lifting equipment he needs.

Through diet and lifting, Mobley said he gained 7 pounds of muscle in the offseason. He said his playing weight last season was about 215 pounds and he weighs about 222 pounds now.

Cleveland Cavaliers president of basketball operations Koby Altman comments on OVI charge

Altman was arrested and charged with driving while impaired last month. He opened his news conference by publicly addressing the incident for the first time.

“I feel awful about the distraction that this incident has caused our organization and team," Altman said. "I've had several conversations across the building with players, coaches and ownership on down and have expressed that same sentiment to them as well.”

Altman said he could not comment further because it's an ongoing legal matter. He said he had conversations with Cavs owner Dan Gilbert, adding those discussions will remain internal. He also declined to answer whether he expects to be disciplined by ownership.

Cleveland Cavaliers excuse Ricky Rubio from training camp

The Cavs have excused backup point guard Ricky Rubio from training camp. The club is scheduled to begin practicing Tuesday at Cleveland Clinic Courts in Independence.

The Cavs released the following statement: "Cleveland Cavaliers guard Ricky Rubio publicly stated in August that he was stepping away from basketball to focus on his mental health. We remain fully supportive of Ricky and his efforts which for now are best continued away from the team and have excused his absence from camp.  We remain in regular communication and consultation with Ricky and will continue to assist him in any way possible. Out of respect for his privacy we will not have any further comment or be able to answer any questions. The Cavaliers organization wishes Ricky and his family well."

Altman said the Cavs hope Rubio will rejoin the team during the 2023-24 season, adding the possibility of retirement has not been broached in their conversations.

Why this offseason has been different for Cavaliers small forward Caris LeVert

Caris LeVert explained he had shoulder surgery last summer and it affected his preparation for the 2022-23 season. This offseason, the small forward who re-signed with the Cavs in July has been healthy.

"Last summer, not a lot of people know, but I had a shoulder surgery, so I wasn't able to train the way I wanted to," LeVert said. "But this offseason, I was able to train the whole way through, so I was able to get some great work in. So I'm excited for the season, for sure."

Cavaliers counting on Tristan Thompson to 'inject some of that toughness' into team upon returning to Cleveland

Altman explained what he thinks veteran center Tristan Thompson can bring to the Cavs. Thompson re-signed with Cleveland last month. He played a key role in the franchise going to four consecutive NBA Finals from 2015-18.

“He's going to inject some of that toughness," Altman said. "... We're kind of quiet. Tristan's not quiet — in a very, very good way. So he's going to push us.

“Tristan can still play. He played in the conference finals this last year. … I think the toughness, the experience, also having been here, drafted here, winning several rounds of the playoffs here, a championship here, it's even more meaningful for us and this fan base and, to be quite honest, the players."

Cavaliers coach J.B. Bickerstaff stops short of committing to Max Strus as the starting small forward, but Strus expects to start

Max Strus is widely considered the favorite to begin the upcoming season as the starting small forward of the Cavs, who acquired him this past summer through a sign-and-trade agreement with the Miami Heat.

Bickerstaff stopped short of declaring Strus will be the team's starting small forward, but he emphasized Strus knows how important he is to the organization's plans.

"He was the guy that we went after in free agency because we believe that he can help us the most," Bickerstaff said, "but I don't know who's going to start for us on opening night."

Later, Strus noted his expectation is that he'll be in the starting lineup when the Cavs open the 2023-24 season.

Max Strus credits Kevin Love with an assist for his decision to join the Cavaliers

Strus explained why he decided to unite with the Cavs.

“When I knew Miami wasn't going to work out, this was probably the next-best situation for me," he said. "Me and my agent talked about it, and the ability to come here and space the floor for the stars that we have in Darius [Garland] and Donovan [Mitchell] was something I think is going to be very productive and very helpful for our team. To be able to join a great playoff team, like we had last year, and to be able to share my experiences and my knowledge of what I gained in Miami, to bring that here and help this young team, I was very excited for the opportunity.”

Strus also said former Cavs star Kevin Love played a role in his decision. They became teammates last season with the Heat after the Cavs and Love reached a buyout agreement in February.

“Kevin was one of the first people I called, and he couldn't have been more positive about the city of Cleveland alone and the organization here,” Strus said. “So I think if you guys are happy that I'm here, I think Kevin should get a big nod to that because he told me it was a no-brainer. He was like, 'Max, you're everything they need. You'll be a great fit. The guys are great. The organization's great.' So Kevin definitely talked very highly of it, and he hasn't steered me wrong once.”

Tristan Thompson says Cavs forward Evan Mobley has top-five potential in the NBA

The Cavs brought back Thompson to add some size and toughness to their bench. He'll also act as a mentor of sorts for Mobley, who is entering his third year in the league.

Mobley took a step forward last season, averaging 16.2 points and 9.0 rebounds per game while earning a nod as a finalist for NBA Defensive Player of the Year. Thompson thinks Mobley has much more to offer.

Thompson specifically said Mobley needs to be the Cavs' version of Anthony Davis, a top-5 player when healthy. And like Kendrick Perkins used to do for him, Thompson says one of his goals is to "stay on" Mobley as he continues his development.

Darius Garland, other Cavs spent time together in Miami and Connecticut this summer

Darius Garland said that "It took months" to get over the playoff series loss to the New York Knicks. But the Cavs largely did so as a community.

Garland said he and several players on the roster got together for "about a week" in Miami, and that they later were in Connecticut to celebrate Donovan Mitchell's birthday.

As for Mitchell's contract situation, Garland said that Mitchell is his own man. "I'll leave it at that," he said.

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, Evan Mobley talk at Cavs Media Day