A.C. Blog:

Summer Musings



Mr. Cavalier Checks In Before the Ohio State Fair

Hey, Cavalier fans! It’s A.C., just checking in before Campy and I head to Columbus. What’s going on?

It’s been a good summer so far. Naturally, we've been doing a few things in the community. Not as much as we do during the regular season – mostly dedicating different rec centers and things around the city. This weekend, we’re going to visit the Ohio State Fair.

So those things have been keeping me busy. And of course, I'm trying to work on the golf game a little bit. It was tough getting started -- the rain and the weather was so bad. But I’m hitting ‘em a little better now. I'm having much better results.

It’s been a wild summer in the NBA. So many changes, especially out West. When you look at it, it probably signifies the reality of the players having control -- that it's hit its highest peak. I think guys being able to opt out or just work their way out of freshly-signed contracts just had a different feeling this summer. It changed the landscape.

I think Kawhi Leonard changed it a lot by not going to the Lakers and going to the Clippers. It just kept everything pretty much in balance and it kind of opened the door for more teams to have an opportunity.

The Eastern Conference was pretty quiet, and it looked like everyone wants to go West anyway. But things are wide open in the East now, just like they were a year ago. Both Conferences should be interesting.

Like a lot of us, I didn’t know John Beilein well before he arrived. I mostly just watched his teams. But I like his style and the way he approaches the game, the way he deals with his players. And I think the one thing that we definitely need -- and something he does very well -- is developing young guys.

That's going to be, I think, very important for the future of the team and the franchise – being able to develop players to get more out of them. Look at the Raptors. You see how far Siakam has come, VanVleet, Powell. Those are all in-house guys.

And for most franchises now -- unless you're one of the top destinations like L.A. or New York -- it looks like the best way to go is to develop your own players.

Right now, the Cavaliers are in that phase. They’ve got an interesting mix and it's going to be interesting to see how that all unfolded in Training Camp.

A.C. wants the Cavaliers to keep improving on defense, especially if the squad runs Sexton and Garland at the 1 and 2 guard slots.

Photo by David Liam Kyle/NBAE via Getty Images

I like all the talent that we have, but if we intend to play both Darius Garland and Collin Sexton together, perimeter defense is going to be huge. Most teams that have big 2-guards are going to isolate our guys and they’ll force us to double-team or overload the floor. That's going to impact our defensive situation -- how quickly we adjust to it is the key.

We’re not sure what we have yet. I think once we get a better understanding of what we have as a team, then I think we'll start carving out an identity. And obviously, the team has to stay healthy. I thought last year, we’d have finished much better had KLove been healthy all season.

We have an abundance of guards right now. I like how we’ve filled out those positions. Now, we need to figure out how our big people are gonna fit in with them.

I’m really excited to see how it’s going to come together – and how the young guys grown under Beilein.

Another thing I’m extremely excited to see this season is the new-and-improved Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. I haven't gotten the full, official tour yet, but I'm loving what I'm seeing.

All that glass is just amazing; it gives the whole arena a completely different look. It just looks so spectacular to me, and I think it's going to be a good situation for the city to have a building like that. And with the All-Star game coming, it's really going to be special.

"I’m a modest man. I never overstepped my boundaries when I was playing; I never put the cart before the horse. But I was hoping and praying that I was going to win that bobblehead competition." Cavaliers Legend Austin Carr

I was downtown for some of the MLB All-Star events and it was tremendous. And now getting the NBA All-Star Game, to have events like that that are almost back-to-back is going to be a huge bonus to the whole region.

It’s a perfect time for all the renovations too – with the 50th season on the horizon. I'm really looking forward to it!

We, as an organization -- the retired players association -- we're kind of stepping up our game and we're trying to do to make sure that we participate completely this year. I'm definitely looking forward to it.

It's going to be a nice situation. And on top of that, I'm very fortunate and honored that I was able to win the BobbleHead tournament! And I'm definitely looking forward to representing the Legends on that night.

I’m a modest man. I never overstepped my boundaries when I was playing; I never put the cart before the horse. But I was hoping and praying that I was going to win that bobblehead competition.

There was a lot of formidable opponents out there, but I'm glad fans thought enough of me to push me past the finish line.