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In a new series for Right Down Euclid, readers can submit their questions for anything related to Cleveland sports and we'll answer them to the best of our ability. Today's is more of a Cavaliers-centric mailbag as Cleveland is now looking at a spot in at least the league's play-in tournament after their 117-104 defeat at the hands of the Toronto Raptors. For what it's worth, Cleveland still has a chance at the postseason since the Cavaliers can not finish worst than tenth-place in the Eastern Conference after the Washington Wizards lost to the Milwaukee Bucks 114-102.
Despite this, the playoffs aren't certain for Cleveland as it is tightly contested between nearly every team in the Eastern Conference playoff hunt. As of today, the Cavaliers need to go 8-1 over the remainder of their schedule in order to clinch a playoff birth. Mind you, this number is based on the assumption that every team ahead of Cleveland will win – which is unrealistic. So, it's bound to fluctuate but, for now, it feels more than safe to assume that the Cavaliers will be a playoff team.
With that said, what do people want to know about the best team in Cleveland right now? Today, Right Down Euclid will answer your questions, and hopefully more, on this edition of the mailbag.
Hey, Evan – Do you know if Collin Sexton will come back this year for the playoffs? I thought I saw it was reported a while back but I'm not sure. Thanks! – Damian C.
Hey, Damian! That's a great question and I'm sure a lot of folks are wondering about it after he did individual interview sessions with various media members via Mountain Dew, one of Collin Sexton's sponsors. This one, in particular, is probably what sparked your question, well the tweet associated with it probably did at least.
There's a bit of a few issues with how this reporter structured things – especially leading with the belief that Sexton being back for the playoffs is a sure thing. Especially since if you're a subscriber to this writer's publication, you'd see they bury in the story that it's unlikely Sexton comes back despite the young guard's optimism about his recovery.
Mind you, it's not because Sexton's recovery isn't going to plan. In fact, it's quite the opposite. Sources say that Sexton's recovery is remaining on schedule and that he's been slowly progressing to have a full range of motion on the court. Those same sources say that even though Sexton isn't playing in an NBA setting, there also is optimism that he'll make a full recovery and not lose any of his burst and athleticism – which is what Sexton's game relies on.
It's been 62 games since Sexton has last played for the Cavaliers. Unfortunately, according to sources, it's likely not going to be until next season that Sexton plays on the court for Cleveland or any team depending on what happens in free agency. That's understandably disappointing for fans of his game and right at this moment, the Cavaliers could use Sexton's skillset to make this playoff climb a bit easier.
But, on Cleveland's side of things, they don't want to have to re-integrate Sexton on the fly during the season, or during the playoffs, especially if he's not 100% healthy. That, and the Cavaliers want to do right by Sexton as he enters free agency this summer and don't want to further jeopardize things for him and his future.
Instead, what Cleveland needs to do is have Sexton in town to experience what it's like to be in a playoff atmosphere for the first time in his life. He's rehabbing at home in Atlanta right now and will likely see his team play the Hawks at the end of March. Sexton should travel back with the team after that and continue his rehabilitation with the organization back in Cleveland.
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Twitter
See @AngryNPDX's post on Twitter.
twitter.com/AngryNPDX
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Hey, Pete – thanks for reaching out! Unfortunately, you are correct. Unlike last season, players currently signed to a two-way deal are not eligible to play in the playoffs this season – which includes Cleveland guard Brandon Goodwin. But, after asking people who are much smarter than me about this, if the Cavaliers were to convert Goodwin's two-way contract to a guaranteed deal for the remainder of the season, he would be playoff eligible for Cleveland.
It remains to be seen whether or not that happens. Or, if it does whether or not he'd actually play for the Cavaliers come playoff time. Cleveland head coach J.B. Bickerstaff has a propensity to lean on his veteran players and if Rajon Rondo is available, Goodwin likely won't see the floor. There are times Goodwin has made the case that he should get minutes over Rondo. But, it just doesn't feel like a sure-fire thing for either Cleveland or Goodwin.
For what it's worth, Moses Brown is technically eligible to play for the Cavaliers in the postseason if they sign him to a contract for the remainder of the season. 10-day contracts have virtually no guarantees to them and they more or less serve as an extra body to fill a roster. So, with that said, if Cleveland were to sign Brown for the remainder of the year, he could play come playoff time.
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Out of all of our injuries this year, which guy going down at what time you think affected the team the most and where do you think we’d be at if it never happened? – Ty Q.
Hey, Ty! Thanks for the question and, honestly, this is a tough one. When Collin Sexton went down for the season, it felt like the straw that would break the proverbial camel's back that was Cleveland's season. But, they kept scrapping, grinding and, frankly, dominating their opponents. Then Ricky Rubio tearing his ACL happened on top of the team being ravaged by a COVID outbreak. But, nevertheless, they persisted and rode that wave out, all while flirting with the top record in the Eastern Conference.
That's been an overall theme of the season for the Cavaliers. They battle through a ton of adversity and come out more hardened and experienced than they were before. It's certainly made them an endearing team league-wide and it's really resonated with the culture that Cleveland is trying to build.
But, if you had to pinpoint a specific injury that impacted Cleveland's season the most it has to be when Jarrett Allen broke his finger against Toronto. Since then, you've likely noticed a decline in how the Cavaliers perform on both ends of the floor. It's hard to truly put into words how important Allen is but he truly is integral to what Cleveland is doing.
Since Allen went down, the Cavaliers are 4-5. During that span, they're allowing 116.0 points per game. Cleveland is also scoring 112.5 points per game in that stretch as well. Granted, this isn't a math newsletter but the math clearly shows that the results are suboptimal, to say the least.
It's going to take a lot for Cleveland to bounce back. Having a healthy Allen would help with that. Sources confirm the reporting that he'll be back before the end of the regular season. But, it all depends on how his finger heals since he elected to not have surgery. As Fred McLeod would say, it's sweaty palms time.
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Twitter
See @billdifilippo's post on Twitter.
twitter.com/billdifilippo
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Hey, Bill. Go State. I really don't know the right way to answer this but I always think about Midnight Gospel when someone asks me this and all I can say is just be here now. Don't bring up the past cause it will drown you. Don't worry about the future cause it will crush you. Live in the present and it will hold you.
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