Cavs Mailbag: Crushed By Injuries, Is NBA Hardship Exception Request In Play?
Welcome to Cavs Mailbag! In this daily mailbag, Spencer Davies will respond to fans’ curiosities surrounding the Cleveland Cavaliers throughout the duration of the 2023-24 season. In order to submit yours, simply send your questions on X to @SpinDavies or via email at spindavies22@gmail.com.
Since losing Darius Garland and Evan Mobley to lengthy injuries, the Cavs have responded with two wins in a row at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. It's been a collective effort all-around, spearheaded by the leadership of Donovan Mitchell.
The Utah Jazz are up next on Wednesday, followed by the New Orleans Pelicans on Thursday before the team heads to Chicago on Saturday night before Christmas.
Let's get to your questions:
Any word on if Cavs will look for a hardship exception and who they might target? Feels like they are close to fitting criteria with Ricky Rubio, Evan Mobley, Darius Garland and Ty Jerome, assuming he's out two or more weeks. - @Charge_Nation
Sorry for the delay on this, but I wanted to do some digging. Good question.
From what I've gathered, yes, the Cavs will be exploring the hardship exception eventually with the rash of injuries they've sustained to this point. There's also the 10-day contract option that opens on Jan. 5 just four days after the New Year to keep an eye on.
With that said, there's no indication yet of who or what position Cleveland would look toward. Plus, I've been told that there's no rush to sign anybody with Sam Merrill, Craig Porter Jr., Emoni Bates and Damian Jones on the roster.
The Cavs feel good about their depth, and they don't see anybody available who is better fit to go after at the moment.
Dec 14, 2023; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) and guard Darius Garland (10) on the court against the Boston Celtics in the second half at TD Garden.
David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports
Should the Cavs target another big? - @WillSD3V
In my opinion, I wouldn't. There was a surplus of big men and size in the frontcourt to start the season for a reason. With Evan Mobley down for a couple of months, you can now look at different types of lineups and combinations at the 4/5.
We've seen Cleveland play Dean Wade and Georges Niang at both spots before, but now they're more likely to see time at the 3/4 if I had to guess. Obviously, Tristan Thompson is going to get a good chunk of minutes at the backup center position.
Jones hasn't played legitimate rotation minutes since Nov. 22 and made an appearance since Dec. 8 with both games against the Miami Heat. However, between the possibility of foul trouble and matchups, there is going to be a time when J.B. Bickerstaff goes to him. It'll be up to Jones to answer the call.
One more thing: How about Isaiah Mobley? He starred at NBA Summer League during the Cavs' championship run in July. He's on a two-way contract like Porter and Bates, but unlike them, he has yet to see any sort of real playing time at the NBA level this year. In seven games with the Cleveland Charge, Mobley is averaging 21 points and nearly 11 rebounds per night.
The Cavs don't lack options at the guard or big positions, that's for sure.
