Cavs Weekly Notebook: Ups and Downs Aplenty

Coming off a week where they didn’t lose a single game, the Cavaliers will have a chance to catch their breath for a few days. They have continually been looked at as underdogs by Vegas, and yet the wins continue to keep coming. They have lost a lot of key guys of late though, and things could get hard.

Looking back from day one to now, a 7-4 record is an absolutely perfect scenario for the Cavaliers. But, tough days might be on the horizon for them.

Trying to Win Without Sexton

Cleveland was playing without three key forwards in Lauri Markkanen, Isaac Okoro, and Kevin Love, going 3-0 in the games they missed. And then, against the Knicks, they lost Collin Sexton as well. He tore his meniscus, and it is going to be a major loss for the team.

He has been the de facto leader for the past couple of seasons, and now trying to play without him is not going to be easy for them. He is still their best isolation scorer, and though the team is very different than it was last year, this blow will be a lot to overcome.

The way the roster is currently constructed, there is not a player who can be plugged in for Collin. As they have done to this point in the year, it will just have to be the next man up. Ricky Rubio will probably not score 37 again, so it will have to be a committee approach for the fellas from The Land.

A Light Week for Cleveland

The Cavs are coming off a four-game week, and now they will play just three this time. They will have a back-to-back later on but will sit until Wednesday. They will be facing the Wizards, which may be the toughest game they’ve had in two weeks. That team is 7-1 and has defeated pretty much everybody that has gotten in their way.

As they prepare for that one, they need to make sure their defense can lock-in. Then, they will play against the Pistons on Friday, a team that is still rebuilding and trying to find their identity. There is a good chance that it will mark the first time all season where Cleveland is actually favored to win the contest.

They will finish Saturday against Boston, who will not have Jaylen Brown available. He is off to a strong start in 2021-22, but injuries will keep him out for at least another week. It’s a big loss for Boston and will give CLE a chance to pull a win out of their hat at home.

Evan Mobley is Nuts

After putting up 26-9-5 against the Knicks on the road, Evan Mobley caught the attention of the league. He had already been playing at a high level, but that’s just something else. He has all the tools to be great, and he’s already putting big numbers up.

Taken with the #3 pick in the draft, they knew he had a lot of ability and talent. But, this is beyond what anybody truly could have expected. With his constant improvement, the league should be on notice.