There are really two halves to the regular NBA season, pre-trade deadline and post-trade deadline. Teams spend that first half of the year proving that they’re worthy of being called contenders. Some decide that they’re a move away from greatness and push all their chips into the middle at the deadline. Then the stretch run is all about seeing if those moves were worth it.
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No team made a bolder move at the deadline than the Cavs. The Cleveland Cavaliers came into February red hot and climbing fast in the Eastern Conference standings, and rather than stand pat, they decided to take a swing and trade Darius Garland for James Harden. It was easily the most notable move a contender made, as oddly enough most of the big names who switched cities went to a team that’s currently in full-on tank mode.
Harden has fit in rather effortlessly alongside Donovan Mitchell and company, averaging 18.9 points and 8 assists in seven games with his new team. The Cavs are also 6-1 in that stretch, with the only loss coming at OKC in a hard-fought game.
Given Harden’s playoff history, we’ll have to reserve judgment on the trade until we see what happens in the postseason, but there’s no doubt that he’s given the Cavs the secondary playmaking option they lacked, especially since Garland had struggled to stay healthy.
Still, Paul Pierce was talking about the Cavs on the latest episode of No Fouls Given, and he told fans not to overlook another move they made just a couple of days before the Harden acquisition.
“I said when they made the trade that it was high risk, high reward, and they’re reaping the benefits of the trade,” Pierce said of the Harden deal, “but the most underrated thing about the trade that Cleveland added, to me when I watch, was Dennis Schroder. He kind off gives them an edge off that bench.”
Schroder and Keon Ellis came over as part of a three-team trade with the Kings and Bulls that sent De’Andre Hunter to Sacramento, and in doing so, they’ve massively upgraded the Cavs’ backcourt depth.
“I know his numbers won’t look all Gotti or impressive,” Pierce said of Schroder, “but the way he defends, it’s an attitude that he brings to that second unit. And he can play with James and he can play with Donovan. He can keep them on the floor because of the way he defends.”
Schroder hasn’t shot the ball particularly well since coming to the Cavs, but he’s doing everything else that Kenny Atkinson needs. He’s dishing out more than four assists per game, and he’s also averaging 1.5 steals. Ellis is picking just as many pockets, too.
The Cavs easily handled the Knicks last night to move into a tie with them for third in the East. The Celtics are just two games ahead, and we’ll really get to see what this new-look Cavs team is made of when they face the Pistons twice and the Celtics once in their next five games. After that, the schedule is cupcake city the rest of the way.
The Cavs had a rough beginning to the season after coming in with high expectations, but it’s not how you start, it’s how you finish. With their key deadline moves, it’s looking like they’ll head into the postseason as one of the hottest and most dangerous teams in the league.
