The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
More help is needed to take down the champs
Cavaliers GM Koby Altman says drafting Alabama’s Collin Sexton was great, but it’s not enough for his team to take down the champ Golden State Warriors.
The Cavaliers improved by drafting point guard Collin Sexton with the eighth pick in the NBA draft June 21, but they still have to get better to beat the Golden State Warriors.
So says Cavaliers general manager Koby Altman.
The Warriors beat the Cavaliers in the Finals in six games in 2015, five games in 2017 and four games in 2018. The Cavaliers beat the Warriors in seven games to win the NBA championship in 2016.
“We were really competitive in this (2018) series and to come away how we came away just really hurt because I thought we were really in a couple of those games and could’ve swung the series either way,” Altman said in a press conference at team headquarters in Independence after the conclusion of the draft. “That being said, we need to get better to beat one of the all-time great teams in the history of the game with their talent level and what they put together.
“(Cavaliers owner) Dan Gilbert will spare no expense and is committed to winning championships. That’s our goal. We did not meet that goal, but we have to keep doing better and we have to invest in player development. We have to get better with our youth and then we have to explore opportunities to add and try to improve our talent level as well. That’s my job, and we’re certainly trying to attack that as we speak for sure.”
So where does that leave LeBron James? That is the question Altman has no answer to on June 22.
James has until June 29 to opt out of a contract that would earn him $35.6 million next season. He becomes a free agent on July 1 if he does opt out. He can re-sign with the Cavaliers or he can sign elsewhere to join a team he believes can challenge the Warriors. The Philadelphia 76ers, Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Lakers are the teams most often mentioned as a new destination for the Cavaliers’ superstar.
“LeBron James played 82 games this season,” Altman said. “He played every game into the postseason. It was remarkable, historical. He gave his heart and soul, die-hard energy, commitment to this team, to this franchise, to the city, to Northeast Ohio.
“We don’t take that for granted at all. I think LeBron has more than earned the right to approach his contracts the way he does. He’s done that before, so this is nothing new for us. We want to respect his space during this process and I continue to have really good dialogue with his management team as he goes through that process. That’s probably all I can say at this point regarding him, but we don’t take him for granted. We love him, this city loves him. He means the world to us and this franchise.”
Altman isn’t revealing what plans he has to make the Cavaliers good enough to convince James staying put might be his best option for dethroning the Warriors. His statement claiming “Gilbert will spare no expense” will be tested.
According to an ESPN report, the Cavaliers payroll would be a minimum of $145 million if James returns. Gilbert would have to pay an additional $74.5 million in luxury tax. That’s without adding any additional high-priced stars to bolster the roster.
The pick used to draft Sexton was acquired in the trade that sent Kyrie Irving to the Boston Celtics last August. Altman resisted the urge to trade it at the trading deadline in February. Instead, he made the Cavaliers younger by acquiring Larry Nance Jr., Jordan Clarkson, Rodney Hood and George Hill in a series of trades.
“We’re way more excited about the fact that we held onto it, what we did at the deadline, what those acquisitions did in the playoffs and how much they grew,” Altman said. “Now putting this all together in a training camp and having some continuity moving forward, what that’s going to do for our franchise and I think it’s really going to help our momentum.”
It still all comes down to whether James decides to stay with the Cavaliers or play for another team.