The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
FUN BEFORE GAMES
Cleveland Cavaliers’ Larry Nance Jr., left, photobombs a photo shoot for Collin Sexton during the team’s media day, Monday, Sept. 30, in Independence.
From first-year head coach John Beilein to promising rookie point guard Darius Garland, age is just a number for the Cavaliers as the franchise readies for its 50th season in the NBA.
Hired in May to replace to replace Larry Drew, Beilein is 66 and coming off 31 years in the college ranks that produced a 754425 record. He spent the last 12 seasons at the University of Michigan, leading the Wolverines to 278 wins, nine NCAA Tournament appearances and two trips to the Final Four.
Beilein projected youthful energy while speaking to reporters as the Cavs had media day on Sept. 30 at Cleveland Clinic Courts in Independence.
“I was up at 5:50 this morning, on the treadmill at 6 and did a great workout. I’m really excited,” Beilein said.
Beilein already has found much to his liking about the lifestyle of an NBA coach, starting with the time he has not spent on college basketball’s seemingly endless recruiting trail.
“College basketball was so good to me, but it was all July, half of August and all September living in a suitcase,” Beilein said.
“Here, I come into the office every day, work, leave at 4 o’clock and go home. There is a different dynamic to the (NBA) year that has given me a sense of energy. I feel so good going into the season.”
Beilein will oversee his first full-squad practice on Oct. 1. The Cavs play their first preseason game on Oct.
7 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse against San Lorenzo, a professional team from Argentina. The regular season begins on Oct. 23 in Orlando.
Despite the Cavs coming off a 19-63 finish last season after losing LeBron James in free agency to the Los Angeles Lakers, Beilein is offering an upbeat outlook on the 2019-20 campaign.
“We’ll have this incredible growth mindset all year long,” he said. “Embrace the product. Be patient with it. As we go along, hopefully, you’ll see steady improvement in the wins and the losses.
“I’m extremely optimistic right now,” Beilein added. “I’m not concerned about anything except if I’m going to be the best coach every day getting them prepared. I pride myself in being prepared, if not overprepared, for every day and every practice.”
Beilein said he’s spoken to Oklahoma City Thunder coach Billy Donovan and Boston Celtics coach Brad Stevens about their experiences making the jump to the NBA from top-tier college programs.
“They’ve done a great job preparing for those days,” Beilein said, referring to the losses piling up as NBA teams go through rebuilding. “We’re coaching a lot of veterans and a lot of young men. You learn from defeat. Defeat doesn’t kill you, it makes you better. Handling adversity is easier than handling prosperity. All that comes into play as you read the pulse of a team.”
Forward Larry Nance Jr., 26, and embarking on his fifth NBA season, marvels at his new coach’s vigor.
“He has more energy than I do,” Nance said, smiling. “He’s always going, always has something on his mind to talk about, teach or coach. It’s really exciting to see. As a player, you want someone so eager to get started. That will be great for us as a team.”
Beilein made two trips to New York City in the offseason to spend time with Kevin Love. In his 12th NBA season and having just celebrated his 31st birthday, Love is the oldest player on one of the NBA’s youngest rosters.
“It was good to open up a dialogue (with Beilein) on where he sees this team going and how we can all be of service to each other,” Love said.
“There will be growing pains, but we need to have a positive mindset and make progress every day,” Love added.
Youthful guards Collin Sexton and Darius Garland are building blocks for the hoped-for brighter future of this franchise.
Sexton, 20, was the eighth overall pick in the first round of the 2018 NBA Draft out of Alabama. He played all 82 games as a rookie, averaging 16.7 points.
Garland, 19, was the fifth overall pick in the first round of the 2019 NBA Draft out of Vanderbilt. He averaged 16.2 points in a freshman season cut short after five games because of a knee injury.
Both said they are eager to get to work with Beilein as their coach.
“We’re going to play together, go up and down (the floor) and go off each other’s reads. That what coach likes,” Sexton said.
Added Garland: “Coach B is a really intense guy, a gym rat who is always in the weight room or doing something with the guys. He’s really into it. That’s why I like him.”