The ole’ ball coach Nate Smith rounds up Eli and Chris for a Cavs the Podcast double album entitled, “Larry Nance: if he’s not a Cav, what’s the point?” Nate’s stirring soliloquy on the virtues of Larry Nance Jr. will melt even the most jaded of Cavs fans’ hearts. On a slightly more serious note, the trio also covers everything else under the basketball sun at the CtB “beach side” podcast studio including Evan Mobley draft buzz, trade rumors, the Olympics, and even a coda on the 2020-21 NBA Season with the Milwaukee Bucks’ championship. If you are starved for content, they won’t leave you wanting.

Cavs the Blog Podcast

245: Larry Nance Junior Double Album

Elijah Kim and Chris Francis stole the keys to the CtB Podcast lair, which led promptly to a 2021 NBA Draft extravaganza! With the ole' ball coach Nate Smith in Dan Gilbert/Wizard of Oz mode, CtB veterans Eli and Chris take charge to check in with a live update on Team USA's final game against Spain before the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Then they break down the Bucks' victory in Game 5 of the NBA Finals and pay homage to one of the greatest in the game today, Giannis Antetokounmpo. Then for the main course, the guys reveal their 2021 NBA big boards. Eli has the scoop on all the consensus top picks, while Chris demonstrates the beginning of a possibly unhealthy obsession with finding the elusive unicorn, "two way playmaking wing." So sit back and relax with your favorite beverage, and get all the info you need about the 2021 NBA Draft... GO CAVS!

244: Eli & Chris' Draft Board Special

237: Decisions Looming

On this hot midsummer night, with only two weeks until the 2021 NBA Draft, Nate Smith, Elijah Kim, and Chris Francis gathered in the global CtB bunker to process the Cavs’ news which seems to be the current hot topic among NBA circles: are the Cavs trading Collin Sexton? According  to reports, the Cavs and Knicks seemed to have serious discussions on trading the 22 year old guard but the talks broke down. Eli is on top of  the case, giving everyone a break down of possible destinations. Chris starts to get onboard with Nate’s “Cade Cunningham and Josh  Giddey” draft agenda as the CtB crew touches on all the Team USA and  FIBA basketball action with more than a few current and former Cavs  enjoying the FIBA spotlight. Eli has the scoop on Jonathan Kuminga and  Evan Mobley, who apparently have just had private workouts with Cavs’  brass. Also for your listening pleasure, Nate gives everyone a few  choice shows that should be on the binge list. So sit back and relax, and kvetch.

July Anxiety (or, the Collin Conundrum)

Cavs-mas came late in the evening as the Cavs were able to move up to the third pick in a loaded 2021 NBA draft. Nate Smith gathers Elijah Kim and Chris Francis to Santa's studio to break down the monumental night. They dive into the possibilities which are seemingly endless. They also continue a fantastic discussion regarding Ben Simmons, with a hat tip to CtB veteran Ben Werth. They also break down the winners and losers, and the surprises we might see in the playoffs and offseason. So sit back, relax, and join in on the conversation below. GO CAVS!!!!!!!!

242: Cavs Pick 3rd (Instapod!)

'Twas the night before Cavs-mas... Yes, Virginia, the draft lottery  has really been the Cavalier Christmas over the last couple years. As such, Nate, Eli, and Chris gathered in Santa's podcast studio, hoping to cook up some Cavs-mas magic on Cavs-mas eve. The trio discussed their hopes and fears for the draft, the prospects they have their eyes on, and the possibilities that exist should the Cavs' luck take a fateful turn. For the second half, Nate and Chris chat by the fireside and reminisce about what has been an exciting and mind boggling NBA playoffs. Have we witnessed the obliteration of four franchises in this past couple of weeks? Are we witnessing the emergence of a changing of the guard among the NBA's elite? Is building a superteam of stars the only way to a ring? Nate and Chris also pay tribute to the greatest championship in NBA history, the 2016 Cleveland Cavaliers (RIP to the late, great Fred McLeod). So sit back, relax, and enjoy the Pod before Cav-mas Eve, and be sure to leave some milk and cookies for Adam Silver.

241: Cavs-mas Eve

On day three of the 2020-21 NBA Playoffs, the ole' ball coach Nate Smith brings together grizzled veteran Elijah Kim and the rookie Chris Francis to wrap up what has been one of the weirdest seasons in Cavs' history. It started with the the joy of seeing Cavs' basketball after the long dark night of the COVID cancellation and NBA bubble, then after a decent start of the season, the craziness and tumult kicked in. Kevin Porter Jr., gone, the big trade for Jarrett Allen, the Andre Drummond drama, the Kevin Love drama, then the full-on tank... CtB covers it all in this epic podcap. They discuss the whereabouts of Dan Gilbert (Dead or alive? Did he even exist at all???). Will we ever hear from Koby Altman again? Does JB Bickerstaff get a mulligan? What will the Cavs do to the roster? The biggest question, were the Cavs actually trying to win this season? and only one way to find out the answers... And to provide a sonic chaser to the Cavs talk, Nate, Eli, and Chris hand out some hardware to put a 2020-21 season to bed. Nate reveals his the team he's secretly rooting for. Eli reveals who's secretly behind the success of his sister's golfing career. Chris reveals where he lurks on the internet when he's not on Cavs the Blog, and we hand out our 2021 awards and playoff predictions. You're not going to want to miss this episode of Cavs the Blog Podcast, enjoy!!!

240: Trying to Win?

On day three of the 2020-21 NBA Playoffs, the ole’ ball coach Nate Smith brings together grizzled veteran Elijah Kim and the rookie Chris Francis to wrap up what has been one of the weirdest seasons in Cavs’ history. It started with the the joy of seeing Cavs’ basketball after the long dark night of the COVID cancellation and NBA bubble, then after a decent start of the season, the craziness and tumult kicked in. Kevin Porter Jr., gone, the big trade for Jarrett Allen, the Andre Drummond drama, the Kevin Love drama, then the full-on tank… CtB covers it all in this epic podcap.

The Cleveland Cavaliers took the best team in the Association, the  Phoenix Suns, into an overtime battle, finally running out of gas at the  end 134-118. The Cavs were greatly undermanned with only a seven man  rotation, but that didn’t stop Isaac “Ice” Okoro, who went toe-to-toe  with one of the brightest young stars in the NBA, Devin Booker. Ice  turned in a career performance tonight with 32 points on only 16 shots  and six assists, while chipping three rebounds AND taking on the  defensive assignment of Devin Booker. Nate “the Podcap Shaman” Smith shepherded first time (ever!) podcast  guest Chris Francis into a deep dive on all things Cavaliers, covering  all aspects of one of the more entertaining games of the year in a  manner that would hopefully make the late great Cavs legend Joe Tait  proud. They pay tribute to the man they call “Ice,” Nate allows Chris to  nerd out on all the obscure stats, and they cover recent Cavs’ news  regarding Anderson “Wild Thing” Varejao’s return, Love’s buyout/trade  prospects, and a status report on sometimes controversial Cavs’ figures,  Collin Sexton and JB Bickerstaff (#FREEBUCK shoutout to EG!). And of  course, it wouldn’t be a complete CtB Podcap without some  recommendations for your entertainment.

239: Ice-splosion!

The Cavs hosted the Bulls Wednesday night with a new coach at the helm (at least for one night). Greg Buckner, a longtime assistant, got his first shot at being in charge... and his team responded with a wire-to-wire impressive victory over the team just ahead of them in the race for the play in tournament. Sexland led the way with 55 points on blistering 19-30 shooting (7-9 from deep), and the Cavs played some of their most stifling defense of the season in the first half to earn Coach Buck his first victory... and subsequent icewater dousing. To revel in the outcome, Nate, David and the prodigal EvilGenius piled into the podcast booth for a couple hours. We hit all the highlights, spent some time chewing the NBA fat, musing about playoff scenarios and favorites and doing a deep dive into classic sit-com territory for some reason. Your patience will be rewarded if you make it to the end for some DW hot takes on Bea Arthur.

238: Stay Golden, Buck

Old friends Nate and EvilGenius squeezes into the podcast booth and looked over the games and more importantly the coming decisions for Cleveland this week and into the future. We discussed whether Andre Drummond would get moved this week, whether we'd see much movement in general, if we'll ever see Kevin Love in a Cavs game again, and the big decisions the Cavs would have to make this offseason. Do the Cavs extend Sexton? How much do they pay Jarrett Allen? Is this "core" sustainable? Is J.B. Bickerstaff the long term answer as head coach? We went around the league to discuss coaching fits, and delved into the Cavs' disastrous head coach hiring history. We pitched a couple albums, picked out current NBA favorites, and decided Larry Nance Jr. and Isaac Okoro really shouldn't share the floor anymore. It was a fun, if slightly ominous time.

This podcast starts with some devastating news we received Saturday afternoon. Our friend, podcaster, and contributor Ryan Yankee passed away Friday night from heart failure. We will share more news when I have it, and a more fitting tribute to Ryan in the coming days. I'm still raw from the loss. Ryan is someone who'd contributed to the CtB community pretty regularly in the past couple years with recaps, comments, and an effervescent personality on podcasts. He always enjoyed going by the the moniker, "Jude Elysium." This podcast kicks off with the late Michael Stanley's team theme song from the 80's, "Let's Go Cavs," and plays out with Ryan playing guitar on 2012's "Everything I Wanted," by the band Good Touch, Bad Touch. Ryan played in many Cleveland bands in his decades long adventure in the Cleveland music scene, and we hope to share more about his life in the coming days. The Euro classically trained musical CtB contingent, Adam Cathcart and Ben Werth joined Nate in the podcast booth, and we think this podcast is what Ryan would've wanted, an in depth review of the first half of the Cavs' "corkscrew season." We kicked it off with the ridiculous Larry Nance Jr. trade rumors, whether the Cavs could get anything for Andrew Drummond, and a breakdown of the good, the bad, and the ugly from the first half. Then we got into the players: Nance, Drummond, Allen, Garland, Okoro, Windler, Stevens, and Collin Sexton. Ryan, who always pitched the silver linings in everything, would've loved the glimmers of hope and excellence we've seen from them all. Finally, we looked at the NBA at large, with reverence for the professionalism that the players have shown in this meat grinder of a season, and picked out some of the highlights. We hope we did you proud, Ryan. We miss you.

236: What Ryan Would've Wanted

David Wood and Nate Smith dared enter the realm of the podcast booth to talk about the Cavs and a variety of other topics. They hit on why the Cavs need to just let it rip from deep, how great Dylan Windler (the South Paw Ginger Kyle Korver) is, Isaac Okoro, how the Cavs are great at post entry passes, who deserves to be in the All-Star game, why Sexton doesn't need to think as much, why Trae Young is the absolute worst, MVP choices, coach of the year, and a ton of other fun topics.

235: Let it Rip

Cavs looked much more prolific from three in this one: 10-32 to the Bucks' 7-22. It was a marked improvement to Wednesday's 10 free throw night, but while the Cavs improved in offensive diversity, they regressed in rebounding: losing that battle 54-36. Between that and trying to stop Giannis (33/12/4) and his ability to take three steps on every dribble, it was tough for the Cavs to keep pace in a fourth quarter that saw them outscored by 15. In that frame, the Bucks turned off the cruise control and hit the gas enough to keep Cleveland at bay. To break it all down, Nate and Ryan braved the cold to man the podcast both. We talked about the last two games, JB's problems coaching offense, the Cavs' poor out of bounds execution, whether the Cavs are tanking, and whether or not  Andre Drummond should be fired into the sun. Towards the end we rebound to get into a little discussion of lizard breeding, twee pop, and Wanda Vision. It was a fun way to spend a Friday night.

234: Threebounding

The Cavs rolled into Madison Square Garden Friday, clearly thinking they could just flip the switch on the Knicks, yet they found themselves outworked, outplayed and outhustled on defense for one of the few times this season. Not to mention, they had real issues hitting shots both in and out of transition. It’s hard to win games where you log a 33 point half of basketball, or shoot 35% from the field. Yet, the Cavs had a chance to turn this game around following a monster run to start the second half… that is, until poor offensive execution and Immanuel Quickley caught up to them. All in all, it was a very forgettable outing for this young Cavs team, who still have some growing pains to go through on their way to regaining relevance in the NBA… but Nate and EG hopped in the podcast booth to remember the good and the bad of tonight’s game and the previous game against the Pistons. We also delved into the upcoming brutal stretch of February games, what the Cavs should do with Andre Drummond leading up to the trade deadline, and how things are different in this Covid-impacted season. Hang out to the end for some solid documentary and musical pitches, and insight into the joys of international travel!

233: That Escalated Quickley

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Cavs the Blog Podcast

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