Chris, Eli, and I cracked the seal on the podcast booth - dusty from almost two months of disuse - and talked Cavs and the Association till we were loooong in the tooth. First we reviewed our (very prescient) pre-season predictions about the Cavs' win/loss record, then took our victory laps about things we were right about and things that surprised us. Next up, we reviewed the last two Cavs' games which were meaningless in terms of standings, but might inform some rotations and tactics in the playoffs. 

Forgive us for stealing from Soundgarden, but instead of looking California and feeling Minnesota like most of the NBA is before tonight's Lakers/Wolves matchup, we dove deep on the Cavs' season and the pending matchup between the Knicks and the Cavs.

The Cavs are one of the weakest defensive rebounding teams, and New York is one of the best offensive rebounding teams. That discussion loomed large as we all picked a close series, with a lot of x-factors in play: rebounding, officiating, rotations, shooting, health (Okoro's and Randle's), RJ Barrett, Evan Mobley, Young Thibs, Old Thibs, and home court advantage. There was a lot to unpack, but one thing was clear: we all wanted to see less Lamar and more Dean and Cedi, as the Cavs' simply must improve their three-point proclivity in the playoffs. It all led to one question with surprising answers: how many games does J.B. Bickerstaff have to win to keep his job?

After that the guys went through the other play-in and playoff series, handed out their post-season awards, and by the time we were done, it was midnight.

Finally, Thanks to our friends at FOCO (Forever Collectibles) for sending us some Cavs gear and this unique Bobblehead featuring Donovan Mitchell in the City Edition Jersey (title photo)! For any sports fan looking for unique collectibles, check these guys out! 

https://twitter.com/cavsthetweets/status/1636744913361551365?s=46&t=OSMDysb6Gu07qAfJAd8rpQ

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"What are you doing, Dave?" With three weeks since our last podcast and a trade deadline, an All-Star weekend, and a franchise legend's exodus to discuss, Nate, Eli, and Chris had had a lot to cover. To help us out Tom Pestak joined us int the podcast booth from cold storage. The CtB neural net leveraged machine learning to create based hot takes to cover all the Cavs and NBA news of the last few weeks.

First up, an all-star game that left us all pining for more competitive contests of yore. Then we waded into the Kevin Love departure. ChrisBOT, NateGPT, and ELI 3000 sputtered over stats and fury as they ranted and raged over the poor handling of the situation from a teambuilding, reputation, basketball, and historical standpoints. The takes were firy, and the CPUs were heating up until Nate's head started leaking fluid like an android in a Ridley Scott film. Tom countered by taking on the Analytics movement as a whole and what it's done to the game of basketball, mainly to get keep Nate from drifting even further off baseline.

Next up, the CtB server farm picked the winners and losers from the trade deadline, went through the Cavs schedule and what we'll see coming out of the All-Star break, and fomented another CtB civil war over Caris LeVert. Things got wild as the topics drifted away from basketball and the guys got into tech, construction, video games, Cavs lore, Ayesha Curry, and Olive Garden commercials. Steven Hawking made an appearance, and we all laughed at Skip Bayless.

Channeling a little Bob Dylan with this one. The Cavs' ability to manipulate gravitational parabolas led to a game that was way too close at the end, and we all know that managing close games is not John Blair Bickerstaff's specialty. There was a lot of teeth gnashing post-game about the Cavs' inability to close yet again, when they were lost in the rain in Juarez, when it's Easter time too: two brutal turnovers and a trio of Heat offensive rebounds lowlighted the last 150 seconds of the fourth. 

Nate, Chris, and Eli slogged into the podcast booth to sing Tom Thumb's Blues after this one, and a big early conversation was whether Donovan Mitchell (16/3/9, four steals +2) put on any airs when walking down Rue Morgue Avenue. Mitchell shot 3-13 this game from downtown on a bevy of jab-step and pull-up Js that really played into the Heat defense. Chris liked the shot selection, while Nate felt like they were bailing out Miami's matchup zone, and not moving defenders to set up passing lanes and offensive rebounds. Speaking of rebounds: Miami won that battle 45-39, with the nine offensive rebounds gouging Cleveland. They got some ugly women there, and they'll really make a mess out of you.

If you see J.B. Bickerstaff, please tell him thanks a lot. After Darius Garland went out at the 3:00 mark of the third quarter with foul trouble, Caris LeVert came in and played the next 12 straight minutes, and after a brilliant chase-down block of Victor Oladipo near the end of that stretch, Caris moaned, I cannot move, my fingers are all in a knot / I don't have the strength to get up and take another shot. Caris was mercifully subbed out, but re-appeared just three minutes later and played 18 minutes in the second half to middling efficiency. At the very least though, he's doing better than Vic Oladipo who has zero lift anymore after all the injuries, and who when interviewed after the game noted, my best friend, my doctor won't even say what it is I've got.

I hate to be Sweet Melinda, who the peasants call the Goddess of Gloom, and yeah Ispeaks good English as I invites you up into her room.  But, much of this game came down to three point shooting: the Heat took good ones when they were open and in the flow of the offense (against a yet again overhelping Cavs' D), and finished 14-31 from deep to the Cavs' 11-40. Additionally the Cavs the free throw disparity was galling too, as the Cavs were in the bonus at the 9:40 mark of the 2nd quarter and got just a pair of freebies out of it, as they repeatedly settled for the three point chucks I described earlier. 

Jimmy Butler (23/1/5) was lookin to get silly as he grifted his way into 15 free throw attempts, including a galling early three point foul where he basically kicked Garland to sweep the leg and ended up at the free throw line. J.B. finished a game with a challenge in his pocket yet again, and this would've been a prime one to use it on, but J.B. saved it for the end and then didn't' use it. Maybe coach Bickerstaff just thought to himself about the challenge, "You better go back to from where you came. Because the cops don't need you and man, they expect the same."

Now, all the authorities, they just stand around and boast about how Eric Spoelstra blackmailed official David Guthrie into leaving his post: giving the Heat a 18-25 to 6-12 free throw advantage.

And you'd think J.B. Bickerstaff would have been picking up Angel, Ricky Rubio, who just arrived from the coast a few games ago, but despite Ricky's 8/5/5 line, 2-4 from deep, and +6 in 17 minutes, J.B. played Okoro and a two center lineup in key moments of crunch time and ended up with an Ice turnover when Isaac stepped out of bounds and a Darius Garland miscue when he forced the ball into a packed paint for another turnover.

Then on one of the most half-assed OOB plays you'll ever see in the Association, the Cavs almost turned it over again when the Heat deflected the ball into the back court and Mitchell was forced to retrieve then kick to Mobley in the left corner for a brick at 1:23. Rubio would've looked a lot better in that corner. Man, J.B. looked so fine at first when he took over for Beilein, but after moments like these, John Blair's left looking just like a ghost.

As you might be able to tell, after this one, Chris Francis started out on burgundy, but soon hit the harder stuff. This might have been one of our most liquid podcasts in a year or so. A big point of contention was LeVerts's negativity don't pull you through (14/5/3, -19), which is a hell of a shift when Mobley puts up a 19/6/4 +16 line. As the author of #CarisLeVertAgenda, Chris was particularly despondent about the pairing of LeVert and Rubio, who don't seem to play well together, and the maddening lack of shooting on the bench lines. A blood feud between Eli and Chris ensued over what grade to give Caris this game.

Chris and the guys pulled up a whole lot of lineup data to prove the point that the Cavs' aren't optimizing their lineups, and that the Cavs' should make every night Turkish Heritage Night, so Cedi Osman can play second halves. Because after an 0-fer seven minute stretch in the first half, Cedi, despite leading his team this season in net rating and being second in the association off the bench in that stat, has to think the coach won't, "stand behind me when the game got rough." Chris pled for J.B. to go do some research on stats.nba.com. But when it comes to Cedi, J.B.'s so kind and careful not to go to him too soon. Bick takes your voice and leaves you howling at the moon.

Finally, the pod got very long in the tooth in the second hour when we wallowed in some trade slop. While not looking at a lot of options for the Cavs, the guys went through, I kid you not, every roster in the NBA to examine who where the buyers and sellers and who have the worst contracts in the NBA. Up on Housing Project Hill, it's either fortune or fame. You must pick up one or the other, though neither of them are to be what they claim. (I'm looking at you Ben Simmons, Evan Fournier, Trae Young, DeAndre Hunter, and Gordon Hayward. 

A whole lot of teams want a king's ransom and multiple first rounders for role players, as the Minnesota Rudy Gobert trade broke the Association. But as we get closer a lot of teams will figure out "the joke was on me, there was nobody even there to bluff." A lot of orgs will be left holding the bag with flawed rosters and even more flawed contracts.

The Cavs take on the the No. 2 team in the West, the Grizzlies, Thursday, and, despite big wins against the Ty Lue's JV squad, the Wine and Gold haven't won a game against a healthy team since December. After the Grizz, the Cavs have five games in seven nights, part of a seven game in 10 night stretch before the all-star break. Something has to change, because the Cavs have been a .500 team or worse since their early season win streak, and right now they possess zero ability to win close games. The question remains, can J.B. coach himself out of this hole? If he doesn't the Cavs may have to make a coaching move before Donovan Mitchell decides."I'm goin' back to New York City, I do believe I've had enough."

Nate, Chris, and Eli jumped in the booth to commemorate the (roughly) halfway point of the season and to wade in the trough of trade of January trade slop. First, though, they had a couple games to recap: a solid, if (according to Nate) underwhelming win over the Pelicans. and a disappointing road loss to the Timberwolves. The gents held yet another referendum on JB Bickerstaff and his and the Cavs' penchant for playing guys while injured.

Then the guys got to the pleasant and unpleasant surprises of the first half for the Cavaliers. Nate tried to re-litigate the Donovan Mitchell Trade one more time with an unexpected substitution, drawing a swift rebuke. Then the trade slop wallowing commenced, energized by everyone's favorite lightning rod, Caris LeVert. The guys broke down the ridiculousness of the Malik Beasley rumors, and then really got muddy talking about the guys that might be available for the Cavs limited trade assets.

Donovan Mitchell and the Cleveland Cavaliers have stolen their last two wins. Most recently, an utter grindfest Wednesday against Phoenix where they were limited to just 33 points in the first half, Wednesday, but absolutely willed themselves back in a game they shot sub 40%, got out-rebounded, were outshot, and turned the ball over more than the Suns. The Cavs only led for about four minutes of game time and trailed by seven With five and a half minutes to go before Donovan (20/6/9) , Caris (21/6/2), Cedi, and Evan grinded out a win against a feisty Suns team missing Devin Booker, but featured a vintage performance from Chris Paul (25/4/8).

More transcendently, we discussed what may have been the greatest regular season offensive performance since Wilt scored 100: Donovan Mitchell scoring 71 and dropping11 assists against the Bulls Monday. Elijah Kim was in the building and gave Nate Smith and Chris Francis a first hand account of what it was like to experience immortality first hand. The gents also talked about the free throw putback at the end of regulation, the Bulls' whining, and the surprise that the officials got it right in the moment and wrong on the two minute report. The trio also discussed the burden of having "one of the only players that matters" on their team and whether the teams owes it to Donovan to do everything they can to win now.

The guys brought up our old friend J.B. Bickerstaff and whether he's optimizing winning with his coaching style (the last two thefts notwithstanding), and threw out the obligatory trade targets. Finally, crew went around the league and discussed what is wrong with officiating and right with the scoring, looked at the Cavs upcoming schedule, and just reveled in immortality.

The three game losing streak the Cavs find themselves on heading into the new year led to a lot of soul searching by Nate Smith and Eli Kim. They piled into the broadcast booth with a steelbody guitar and sung the blues for John-Blair Bickerstaff. As they were singing, the boys wondered if all this bad luck and trouble was because of J.B., who seems at loggerheads with his own public statements, his front office, and his players as they struggle to defend the three point line or score enough to keep up with their opponents. 

Nate and Eli both sang the ballad of Darius Garland's right hand, which the young guard held as he winced in pain after a nasty strip attempt by Oshae Brissett resulted in a foul. Our intrepid hosts were even more shocked when Garland returned to the game with a thumb brace, clearly in pain, and unable to even make free throws down the stretch. 

The podcast got low down as they played the 12 bar blues for Lamar Stevens who remains a starter despite his offensive shortcomings being a boon to opposing defenses, and Smith and Kim wondered what the hell Cedi Osman ever did to get so far into JB's gog house. Ultimately Nate and Eli went back and forth over why J.B. is so danged stubborn and whether he is the right fit for this team long term.

The guys also discussed whether this team can win in the playoffs as constructed or with this coach, and what could be done to change those fortunes with proposed new years resolutions on and off the court. Finally, Eli soloed over his experience behind the bench at a recent Cavs game and what the vibe, coaches, and players were like down home at the Rock.

Sure the Cavs might have kicked butt in Philly Wednesday due to superior shooting, lockdown defense, and a sleepwalking Sixer squad, but we all know the real reason was the man in the building, our own Elijah Kim. At the quarter pole of the season, Eli joined Nate Smith and Chris Francis in the podcast booth to talk about the game, the last couple weeks, couture sweat suits, lineup data, rotations, JB, dawgs, dogs, and his upcoming sideline game where he'll be donning the undefeated gold jacket. It's a raucous ride full of laughs and insight.  

Nate Smith and Chris Francis dropped into the podcast booth and sussed the Hawks game and the Miami game out, dropping kudos to all the guys. In depth looks at the two game and the second overtime of the Hornets game fueled the discussion of this three game win streak.

Chris and Nate puzzled over J.B. Bickerstaff's rotations (yet patience with Okoro), pondered the coming schedule, went deep on the Caris LeVert conundrum, fantasized about life with Rubio, and even tackled some more outlandish questions. Is Dean Wade a top five NBA small forward? Is Lauri proving the Mitchell trade was a bad one? Was losing Collin Sexton addition by subtraction? And do the Cavs need another small forward?

Finally, Nate shared his own tale about rec specs and (lack of) respect from his wife and kids while Chris verbally shakes his head in disbelief. 

Chris Francis and Nate Smith jumped into the podcast booth, and then subbed in Elijah Kiim in the second quarter. Eli quickly coined the subtitle of this pod: "Reputational Gravity." The Cavs have a lot of it right now, getting respect from around the lead as they are now top three in net rating. The term also applies to the respect Cavs' shooters get (or don't get) even when they're not hitting their shots, which opens up the floor for the rest of the team. The trio break down this topic and so much more as they recap the Cavs' thrilling victory over the Celtics.

Our Newtonian trio takes you through every part of the Cavs' rotation, paying special attention to Donovan Mitchell's defense, Caris LeVert's similarities to Ricky Rubio, Darius Garland's defensive skills and shortcomings, and his otherworldly passing and shooting. What ails Isaac Okoro, Cedi Osman, Kevin Love, and Jarrett Allen? What's got Donovan Mitchell playing such good defense? Which lineups are working the best? Are the Celtics worth worrying about in the east? It's as in-depth a look at a 24 hour old game as you'll find anywhere.

In the second hour, the gents discuss reputations of a different nature, notably Kyrie Irving's and the NBA's. Our NBA Science Academy scholars ask "Where is Adam Silver?" "Why is Kyrie such an oppositional dope?" "Is the NBA discipline committee basically Charles, Shaq, and Kenny?" It's an in depth look at narcissists and bad faith actors. Fortunately, our men of letters wrap this one up some solid recommendations, and shout out some of the giants on whose shoulders CtB stands.

This was a weird one. But Donovan Mitchell, "you got the touch! You got the power!" Donovan Prime arose and lit our darkish hour with a 37-point virtuoso performance, has already picked up the mantle as the on-the-court leader of the Wine and Gold. Running out of Energon, Mitchell got pretty tired late, coughed up the ball a few times, and let the Wizards back into a game the Cavs had won. Fortunately, Donovan, Caris, Cedi, Dean Wade, and Jarrett Allen rallied, and took a small deficit in overtime to a double digit lead to knock out Washington. Chris, Nate, and Eli break down all the action, look at the first three games, evaluate the JB Bickerstaff coaching experience, and take a look around the NBA for your listening pleasure. 

Most perplexing was the complete passivity on offense of Isaac Okoro who looked like he wanted to be anywhere but on the court, offensively. Slightly less perplexing: the minor struggles of Evan Mobley who has been "ok" the first few games of the season. In Mobley's defense, missing training camp and youth can explain things. In the Okoro's case, the CtB crew were completely baffled. Fortunately, when the lights are on in the regular season, the truth comes out, and all the pre-season fluff pieces about young guys are overwritten by the play of the vets and stars in their prime. Donovan is definitely finding his, Caris is providing necessary secondary ball-handling, playmaking, and defense. Jarrett Allen comes up with a couple spectacular blocks per game, and Cedi Osman has exceeded all expectations with stellar performances the last two games.

Nate, Chris Francis, and a scribbled cocktail napkin from the the Desk of David Wood, break down the latest development with the Cavs, the NOAH shot analysis system, Lament the Guardians' loss, and pick over/unders around the NBA.

The Cavs won their first pre-season game of 2022, Wednesday. Despite a slow start, Donavan Mitchell, and Darius Garland combined for 47 points and 15 assists, off a prodigious 47 shots. Jarrett Allen added five blocks, Isaac Okoro got a start for a resting Caris LeVert, and put up a very solid 16 points and three steels with some nifty drives, and silky shooting. The Bench starred Cedi Osman with 16 and Mamadi Diakite who is making it hard for the Cavs front office to keep him off the roster, with a monster 13 point, 11 rebound, three stock night as he helped seal the deal for Cleveland.

Nate Smith and Chris Francis break down the game, go over the Cavs' rotation, digest the news from around the NBA, and probably overanalyze the muscle mass of more than a couple Cavs. To top it all off, Nate shares a story about abusing his own body during a rough night in Vegas pretending to be a dentist.

This pod finds Nate Smith and Chris Francis paraphrase the words of Kevin Love: "I've never been around a team this deep with young talent." Lamenting a Monday pod that blew up midstream, Nate and Chris managed to recapture the energy in the podcast booth and gush over Cavs' Media Day, all the young talent on the roster, and how much fun it's going to be to cover the team this year. Most palpable to Chris was the return of Basketball Jesus, Ricky Rubio, and the sense of "unfinished business" from Ricky's first stint with the Cavs. 

Chris and Nate go through the roster from the stars, to the vets, to the potential "superstar," all the way down to 2-way guys and the guys fighting for that last roster spot, as they dig through media day highlights, and think about what might be, during the most exciting pre-season since 2014, and the arrival of the most anticipated non-LeBron Cavs season since before Shawn Kemp ate his way out of Cleveland. This pod was a blast.

Nate Smith, Eli Kim, and Chris Francis take an early Labor Day vacation to the Cavs: the Podcast resort studios to hash out the big news of the week, Donovan Mitchell is a Cavalier. CtB has you covered with every angle of the trade. Chris pushes his Donovan pills on Nate and Eli. Eli walks his dog mid-podcast. Nate regales the listeners with stories from Trivia Night. This one is a must-listen...

Chris Francis and Nate Smith dust off the podcast microphones after an almost two month absence. While they were convalescing from viral and life injuries, they've been jonesing for some Cavs Basketball. To slake the roundball thirst, the CtB faithful have been catching up on youtube videos, pro-am highlights, and international play of all your Cavalier favorites. Chris and Nate go through most of the roster and talk about what the next season holds in store for these guys. Topics include: is Okoro's rumored upskilling real?; what will Collin Sexton's role (and contract) be?; is second-year Mobley going to shoot like a young KD (in results or form)?; who plays backup point guard?; who gets cut or traded? (we're looking at you Dylan, Cedi, and Lamar); and are there minutes for rookie Ochai Agbaji?

It's a pretty loose and casual conversation between guys trying to dust the rust off their vocal cords.

It is the 2022 NBA Draft eve, and you know what that means, CtB's Draft Appetizer season! Nate Smith, Eli Kim, and Chris Francis serve up a mighty helping of draft and trade slop to satisfy the basketball hunger (h/t to friend of the podcast TrillBroDude of You Know Ball Podcast for the term "slop"). There's a quick rundown of biggest stories hitting the media sphere, breaking news mid-episode, an appetizer draft (yes that's right), and last but not least a CtB Annual Mock Draft that leaves Nate and Eli so puzzled and confused that it could drive you throw your appetizer dish at the wall (Disclaimer: CtB is not liable for any damages resulting from their podcast)

So grab a fork, pull up to the trough, and dig in....

Welcome to 1985. Nate Smith, Eli Kim, and Chris Francis have gathered again at the Cavs: The Podcast resort studios to serve the people another helping of offseason hooper content for the basketball-starved fans of Cavsland. The trio discuss the 2022 NBA Finals, John Hollinger's free agency guide regarding Collin Sexton, the NBA Draft now only a mere eight days away. The Cavs are "Running up that Hill" to build their roster, and the draft, trade, and free agency talk flies fast and furious.

Then the gents talk Top Gun: Maverick, Stranger Things Season 4, Eli's squeaky dishwasher and the best and worst movies of late!

Cavs: the Podcast turns back the clock with Nate Smith, Tom Pestak, Elijah Kim, and Chris Francis to talk the latest in Cavs' rumors, draft musings, and a return of CtB's classic podcast bit "Lawn Mower Chat" featuring a homeowner's horror story 20 years in the making.

First order of business was an extensive look at cleveland.com's Chris Fedor's chat with Michael Scotto of Hoops Hype to react to all the rumors swirling around about potential offseason moves for the Cavs, including a bunch of would-be senior citizens. Fedor drops a ton of names and CtB has all the reactions including a brief canonization of "St. Weirdo" Dion Waiters, one of the most beloved of recent Cavs' lore. The legend Mike Conley Sr.'s dunking prowess continues the gerentological theme of the chat.

Chris and Eli give a quick update regarding NBA draft rumors post-combine. The league is starved for wings, how will the Cavs fare in the draft finding that elusive two-way wing?

Tom, Nate, and Chris give reaction to the elder statesmen Golden State Warriors entering the Finals picture with their win over the Dallas Mavericks. It appears that the Boston Celtics are headed on a collision course against GSW, how do the guys think it will shake out?

And of course, last but not least "Lawn Mower Chat" and CtB pitches! Shoutout to all the old guys turning back the clock, may this podcast inspire you! And also, shoutout to all the seniors across the country and world who are graduating, it's summer time in Cavsland!

Nate Smith and the Chrises Mr. Lyden and Mr. Francis hopped into the Cavs: the Podcast studio resort to take the temperature of the NBA playoffs so far, the impending draft lottery, and the latest in Cavsworld.

On the foremost of Mr. Francis' mind was the upcoming draft and how the Cavs' might approach it. Secondly, the trio dives into the Conference semis, with particular attention from Mr. Smith to the spectacular collapse of the Phoenix Suns and the cooler talk aftermath. The guys riff on the very contemporary subject of video games, which are ubiquitous in the world of Gen Z or "Zoomer" generation. Mr. Lyden takes the guys and audience down the fascinating rabbit hole of DeAndre Ayton's video gaming habits.

The trio quickly covers the disturbing reports regarding Rajon Rondo, while ending on a high note by talking next steps in the development of the Cavs. Of course, no Cavs: the Podcast is complete without some pitches, and there are some delightful ones if you're a fan of music and TV

Editor's Note: this Episode of Cavs: the Podcast is sponsored by the-school.html">Precious Ones Ministries, and our fundraising drive to "Save the School." It's simple. It's direct. See the details below, and give what you can. We're presenting this pod commercial free save our ask that you help us with this effort.

One of the features of 21st century communications is the so called "group chat." It enables people, regardless of their location, to instantly communicate with each other in a social way. In this episode of Cavs: the Podcast, Nate Smith, Eli Kim, and Chris Francis have staged an "avant garde" performance of their most recent discussions regarding the post-mortem 2021-22 Cleveland Cavaliers. Listeners can dive in and "peak behind the veil" of CtB to discover how the guys are processing the Cavs' season now that the playoffs are in full swing.

There's a little bit of coach talk, PBO talk, player talk, trade talk, draft talk, join in on the friendly banter below. And most importantly, Nate comes through with the most important pitch in CtB history, below.

So I'm currently fundraising for a school in Uganda that my cousin runs that we want to fund through the year (at least). It is a school for very poor children which would not have a school if this did not exist. If you ever felt grateful for the years of free content that this site has provided, please consider giving back by donating to this school. I'm going to come up with some way to thank the donors, but I will start by just saying, everyone who donates $50 gets a sweet T-Shirt (no details yet, but you know I'm good for it). Read about it the-school.html">here. Donate the-school.html">here. The charity is a 501c3 and fully deductible.

 

The Story

Our dear friend Shannie in Uganda, the Director of Precious Ones, has been running a school for years for the orphans and the poor in her village. When I met her she was paying for the teacher's salaries out of her own salary (she works for a church in the city) and running the school out of a garage. Some land was donated to her and she would literally buy a brick every time she earned enough money to buy one. She knew one day God would provide a school building! Talk about faith!! We were blessed to be able to help build the school.

Another organization was helping pay for the food and school fees. She also had support from some kind individuals. However, the pandemic shut the school down for two years. The support ended during that time.

Fast forward to now. The school opened back up in January with almost no support. Shannie is really struggling to keep the school open. The school has 200 students and 10 teachers. It also has the only well in the area with clean water. They also feed the kids lunch at School. School in Uganda is not free, nor does the government help in any way. She is short $1000 a month.

If the school closes, these kids will not be educated. That's just the reality. Most of their parents received little-to-no education (we are trying our best to educate the women in our program, but most have never had formal education a day in their lives).

To keep the school open and to step into this partnership, we would need people to give $1000 a month. That's 10 people willing to give $100 a month. Or 40 will to give $25 a month. All donations to this go through Precious Ones Ministries and would be tax deductible.

Will you help us keep the school open?

Postgame the CtB trio of Nate Smith, Chris Francis, and Chris Lyden hopped into the podcast resort studios to recap the Cavs' loss against the Brooklyn Nets 115-108. They break down the game from all angles, who stood out, who stepped up, who disappeared? The gang goes down every Cavs' rabbit hole.

The boys also go into the Nets' playoff prospects, and some erudite conversation flows. Lastly, some NBA awards are handed out and if you love hometown picks, this pod's for you. Last but not least, we have some hot off the presses music recommendations for your listening pleasure.

Emerging from their winter hibernation, Nate Smith, Elijah Kim, Chris Francis, and Chris Lyden took a spring break trip to the Cavs: the Podcast resort studios to catch up on all the craziness of the Cavs' season post-All Star Break. In true CtB fashion, they push this episode as best as they could to the two hour mark. So don't worry, if it has anything to do with the Cavs, the quartet has got you covered.

They break down the latest Cavs games against the Magic and Bulls, break down where things have gone wrong and right this season, hold yet another referendum on JB Bickerstaff, look forward to the regular season stretch run, make some bold post-season and off-season predictions, look at the rest of the NBA, and praise Elijah Kim and his Amazing Technicolor Cavs Coat. it's a long podcast for a very long month!

To celebrate Sunday's win over the Pacers and the newly acquired LeVert, the CtB faithful squeezed into the podcast studios. Nate Smith, Elijah Kim, Tom Pestak, and Chris Francis kicked it off by holding a (Kevin) Love fest for what we'd all just witnessed. After breaking down the game and the Cavalanche, the guys got into the LeVert trade and broke down how he helped the Cavs, how he fits their timeline, and what other moves the Cavs might have considered or what they may be considering still.

The CtB brain trust tried to nail down the origins of the Cavs' 90's mascot, Boomer, played a game of "who he play for?" with an early aughts Cavs squad, Tom penned an ode to Bill Fitch, Eli (the Korean Channing Frye) regaled us with the details of his Sunday night pick-up glory, Tom and Nate traded epic tales of bureaucracy and wisdom, and then the old men sang the praises of the OG computer store, Micro Center. What a night. What a win. What a trade. What a season.

Nate Smith, and the Chrises (Mr. Lyden and Mr. Francis) gathered together in the CtB podcast resort studios for a Podcap Two-fer to cover the awful loss in Detroit and the gritty home win against the New Orleans Pelicans. The trio covers all aspects of both games, with a deep dive into Coach JB Bickerstaff's changes between the two games.

Nate also lobs Mr. Francis a softball to wax poetic on the inaction of Cavs' GM Koby Altman. For those who can his pain, join him.

Finally, the trio dives into All-Star Reserves nominations, which should be coming out shortly this week! There's the strong possibility Cavs fans will see some of their own during All-Star weekend in Cleveland...?

Nate Smith and the two Chrises (Mr. Lyden and Mr. Francis) hop into the CtB podcast studio resort to bask in the glory of the Cavs' statement win against the Milwaukee Bucks, 115-99. The win puts the Cavs in 3rd place of the Eastern Conference and in the hunt for the first seed. The Cavs dominated the game even though they were easily the more shorthanded team and the Bucks came out like gangbusters in a fantastic first quarter performance. But NBA Champion Kevin Love and Cedi "the Jedi" Osman stepped up for the team and delivered MVP performances and serving a beatdown of the reigning champions.

Conspicuously absent from the CtB trademark rap session was trade talk because, why ruin the good vibes? One of the most underrated aspects of team building is chemistry, and the Cavs have found something special. Just watch NBA Champion Kevin Love's postgame comments, he knows what winning at the highest level looks like. So no trade talk, just good vibes...

After the valiant effort the Cavs put forth in Chicago, losing to the Chicago Bulls 117-104 in a game that was more more hotly contested than the score suggests, Nate Smith and Chris Squared (Mr. Lyden and Mr. Francis) hopped into the CtB Podcast resort studios to take the temperature of Cavsland after a wildly successful road trip and signature win Monday against the Brooklyn Nets. The CtB trio break down the Chicago game, Brooklyn game, trade rumors, and hand out some Cavs' prognostications.

The theme (shoutout to legendary local rap group, Bone Thugs-n-Harmony) that emerged from this exciting discussion: Have the Cavs reached the Crossroads? The Cavs have found their franchise pieces and their title window. But how do they go from feel good playoff story to legitimate contention? Are the Cavs the team that beat the Nets or the team that lost to the Bulls? Where will Dan Gilbert, Koby Altman, and J.B. Bickerstaff lead this organization? Are there moves that they should make now? Or do they play the long game? Enjoy the discussion and sound off with your thoughts on CavstheBlog.com.

Tonight, a long winter's night in the dead of January, Nate Smith, the official train conductor of Cavs: the Blog, rounds up two of his best train engineers Elijah Kim and Chris Francis, both of whom with vast experience on the Trade Express, to take stock of three major stories in CavsLand: 1. the Midseason report card, 2. the extension of Koby Altman, and 3. the Chris Fedor tweet on possible trade targets.

The trio lists their Favorite Things about the first half of the season. They dream a little dream about the improvements they're looking forward to for the second half of the year. But let's be honest, the buzz is growing about trade deadline 2022. So hop aboard the Trade Express if you dare, and let the dulcet tones of Cavs: the Podcast take you on a NBA odyssey through the long winter's night...

CtB emeritus Tom Pestak is in the house! That's right, Nate Smith and the Chrises (Mr. Lyden and Mr. Francis) have gone to the North Pole, busted out Tom from the cryochamber, and gathered in the CtB podcast resort studios for a Christmas Podcast Miracle. The quartet revel in the success of Tower City and the Cleveland Cavaliers, and break down how the Rockets beatdown and the first third of the season has gone.

The vibes were incredible with Tom back on, bringing some great new insights to the team this year and of course "Tales from Americana." Mr. Lyden and Mr. Francis were armed and ready with spreadsheets, calculators, and box scores to contextualize this amazing start the Cavs have had, Mr. Francis' hot take about championship caliber basketball got Tom juiced up and comparing this team to the underrated 2014 San Antonio Spurs squad. The CtB gang dreams big... but the real ones know, there's something special brewing with these Cavs. Also! Don't miss Nate Smith properly hazing Tom with the legendary and rousing game, "Who he play for???" GO CAVS!

Nate, Chris Francis, and Eli break down the Cavs' last three games, gush over Evan Mobley, J.B. Bickerstaff, Jarrett Allen, the Big Finnish, Cedi Osman, Darius the Great, and so much more. It's a fun and yuletide inspired podcast. The title is copped from Chris Lyden's brilliant recap of the 115-92 beatdown of the bulls but also refers to Billy Donovan's entreaty of referee Jonathan Sterling, to "blow the whistle" on the Cavs. The title also evokes notes of the Cavs' winter train leaving the station and picking up steam as they head towards the easier part of their schedule as well as the sad train whistle of leaving things behind, like Eli's Summer trade dreams.

Tonight, Nate Smith and the Chrisses (Mr. Lyden and Mr. Francis) hop into the CtB podcast studio resort to celebrate the Cavs' jackpot win over the hapless Miami Heat, 111-85. It's been a dozen years since the Cavs have won in South Beach... Since Shaq, Boobie, LeBron (1.0), Z, and Delonte West were Cavaliers (Check it out the classic recap in CtB wayback machine). So, what changed tonight (aside from Butler and Bam being out of commission)? The Koby Altman assembled team is firing on all cylinders and rounding into form... The Cavs had six guys in double figures, led by Kevin Love's 22, and pitched in 14 blocks, and outrebounded Miami 46-28. Only 20 turnovers besmirched a dominating performance.

Chris, Chris, and Nate break down all the angles of the game, plus the All-Star candidacy of Jarrett Allen, the DPOY campaign of Evan Mobley, the renaissance of Kevin Love and Ricky Rubio, and the growth of Darius Garland and Isaac Okoro. The trio asks and answers the question of the night, "was this roster luck for Koby, or was it skill?" Another important question loomed large: "do the Cavs need to make a move this year to sustain the success or take it to the next round?" And as always of course, stick around for the CtB pitches... GO CAVS

Last night, Nate Smith, Elijah Kim, and Chris Francis entered the CtB podcast studio resort to take the the temperature of Cavs” fandom at the quarter pole of the 2021-22 NBA season.

Obviously, the big news recently for the Cavs is the recent four game losing streak and the loss of Collin Sexton for the year to the knee injury. The trio breaks down both and takes a wider view of the season as a whole.

The other hot topic in Cavs-land is Isaac Okoro and his early season struggles along with his sudden role change as Young Bull’s replacement. Chris has his calculator handy while Nate and Eli bring the eye test heat to break down the early returns.

For a bit of fun, the trio also breaks down the second Koby Altman missive of the season, “From the Desk of Koby Altman.” What’s up with that?

Lastly, since it is the holiday season, don’t miss the favorite Thanksgiving food pitches and a quick recap of the gang’s holiday plans. To everybody who reads and/or listens to CtB, have a safe, joyful time with people you love, Happy Thanksgiving! GO CAVS!

We've known each other for so long: old school CtBer, and first time podcaster Chris Lyden (Aka @Leavelander!) joins Chris Francis and Nate Smith in the podcast studio. Until this season, our hearts have been achin' (for some great Cavs basketball), but we're too shy to say it. But we all know what's been going on with the Cavs’ beatdown of the Knicks 126-109. The trio tells you how're they're feelin' about newest Cavaliers from this off-season, Ricky Rubio and rookie phenom Evan Mobley, who both had career nights in the Mecca of basketball, Madison Square Garden. A full commitment's what we're thinkin of, as we cover the dynamic duo. Ricky went 8-9 from deep for a career high 37 points and 10 dimes, and Mobley notched 26/8/9! You wouldn't get this from any other guys!

The CtB trio are also gonna make you understand the grit and grinders such as Dean Wade, Cedi Osman, and Jarrett Allen and the rest of the squad who were never gonna give you up, and never gonna let you down if you're a Cavs fan. Nate and the Chrisses also cover some the surprising stories around the NBA, who’s up? Who’s down? Spicy takes? Who's gonna run around and desert you? They're all here as the trio rides high into the night celebrating a victorious occasion. Don't tell me you're too blind to see it. They don't say goodbye and hurt you if you either, when you stick around for some excellent pitches (especially if you love beer!). We know the game, and we're gonna play it, so as always: GO CAVS!

Tonight, Nate Smith and Chris Francis enter the CtB podcast resort studios to revel in the Cavs' victory, a gritty 107-104 win over the reeling Portland Trail Blazers. Jarrett Allen put together another superstar, MVP type of performance  alongside some sharp shooting and passing from Darius Garland. Nate and Chris break the game down from all angles including breaking out the calculator and dissecting all the numbers.

The CtB duo also reminisce on the week that was in Cavs-land, discussing the brutal schedule and how competitive the Cavs have looked even at their worst. They also discuss the stench coming from Portland, which began well before the season kicked off. Nate and Chris also take a step back with a survey around the NBA, discussing some of the surprises so far in the early going.

And finally, it wouldn't be a Cavs: the Podcast without the pitches. Chris and Nate discuss the cinematic phenomena that is Dune, and Nate finishes with a deep cut documentary on the Sparks Brothers, one of the great unsung musicians of pop and rock scene for the last 50 years. So sit back, relax and enjoy... the Cavs have found a spark!

Nate Smith and Chris Francis hop into the CtB podcast resort studios to break down the Cavs’ opener, a tough loss against the Memphis Grizzlies led by the ridiculousness of Ja Morant, 132-121. The duo breaks down this game from every angle including J.B.’s "Tower City" experiment, featuring Lauri Markkanen at the three, the strange closing lineup, a brilliant night by Jarrett Allen, and the promising debut of one, Evan Mobley.

For a nice coda, Nate and Chris also do a little “around the world” of the NBA, including waxing poetic the greatness of Giannis Antetokounmpo, the somewhat surprising spryness of the Golden State Warriors, and whether the Lakers or Nets should be concerned. And as always, stick around for a hilarious “pitches” segment, because CtB is nothing if not fun!

Korea's own Eli Kim and Chris Francis join the ole' ball coach Nate Smith for a giant squid sized episode of Cavs: the Podcast! The trio breaks down the latest roster moves, the Cavs' lengthy preseason, from the bad loss to the Chicago Bulls to the glorious beatdown of the Indiana Pacers, at the hands of the many tentacled trio of 7-footers the Cavs started: Markkanen, Mobley, and Allen. They lament having no love for Denzel Valentine, but give special shout out to Rickio Rubio's ability to strand opponents on "Love Island."

And for the main course, the CtB trio completes the tour around the NBA with the Eastern Conference edition of Over/Under. Who's up? Who's down? You won't want to miss the Cavs' predictions! Also, Nate, Eli, and Chris give the hottest of takes in their NBA end of season awards (admittedly, Chris may have been doing a bit).

Lastly, it wouldn't be a Cavs: the Podcast without the pitches. Nate pitches a show inspired by the cultural touchstone that is "Love Island," while Eli gives his full endorsement to the Korean drama and global phenomenon, "Squid Game." Chris wraps it up with a heartfelt shoutout for the rock act, Des Rocs.

Nate Smith and Chris Francis make an emergency trip to the CtB podcast resort studios to breakdown the whirlwind 48 hours of preseason Cavaliers basketball action. After an embarrassing night in Chicago, the Cavs were able to grit and grind their way to a victory in Atlanta on the standout performances of rookie Evan Mobley and veteran Ricky Rubio. Nate and Chris bask in their glory, and breakdown both matchups from all angles.

The duo also gives a nice little preview look into the upcoming Eastern Conference Over/Under episode, with a couple of quick assessments of the Bulls and Hawks’ offseason moves. Lastly, Nate and Chris discuss the weirdness of Cavs’ coverage by the television networks, which apparently isn’t just a problem with the Cavs… Adam Silver if you’re listening, hopefully you’ll take a look!

Ole' ball coach Nate Smith gathers up Dani Socher and Chris Francis into the CtB podcast resort studio to recap the first action of the Cavs' 2021-22 season with the Wine and Gold Scrimmage that took place on Saturday afternoon. Naturally after deconstructing the action, the conversation led to speculation about what the Cavs' starting lineup could look like.

For the main course, the CtB trio plays the classic game of Over/Under, with tonight's subject the Western Conference. Join in the conversation below with all of your Western Conference hot takes!

Fresh from the CtB podcast resort, Nate Smith, Dani Socher, and Chris Francis pay homage to the classic PBS television program, "The McLaughlin Group" with their own, wacky, loosely scripted version of the show, except better... because it's the Cavs' Edition. That's right, Chris plays "moderator" to two of the "giants" in Cavs media, Nate and Dani... who go head to head in a battle of Cavs' basketball ideologies with no clear victor, except for the listeners who will be thoroughly entertained as the duo grades ALL of the offseason moves with the Cavs barreling towards the start of the 2021-22 NBA season. The episode starts off cordial and polite, but by the end, there were fireworks that rival any Rozzi's show, (okay, that might oversell it a touch).

And of course, no Cavs: the Podcast episode is complete without the gang's trademark pitches. Nate reminds the world of the greatness of the band R.E.M. especially in live form. Dani, in true Chris and Eli fashion, salutes the glorious land of South Korea name dropping Park Chan-Wook's "The Little Drummer Girl." Chris also reveals his own personal TV obsession, "Lucifer" which is based on the graphic novel series "The Sandman" by Neil Gaiman. So sit back, relax and enjoy two of the intellectual heavyweights of Cavs' world duel in a battle of (t)wits...

The ole' ball coach Nate Smith called a trade rumor audible and rounded up CtB veterans Elijah Kim and Chris Francis to discuss the recent Ben Simmons talk that has swept up NBA fans. The CtB trio does a deep dive into the possibilities (or improbabilities?)... with Nate dropping a deep cut Kenny Rogers and Michael Jordan reference that caught youngins' by surprise!

The trio also lightly touch on free agency and thoughts before the Cavs' training camp begins in a mere three-ish weeks. Be sure to stick until the end for the Tom Pestak tribute "Dad talk" as told by Chris, who offers his own version of "Uncle talk" that'll be sure to make all the parents of teenagers out there laugh, or shake their head in bemusement. Nate and Eli take everyone home with covering the topic de jour, the Bishop Sycamore football team scandal.

Elijah Kim and Chris Francis reflect upon the biggest NBA news of the weekend, the Cavs trading hometown son and de facto team leader Larry Nance, Jr. to the Portland Trailblazers in a three team trade that brings over the sharp shooting big Lauri Markannen, who fell out of favor with the Chicago Bulls and their new front office regime.

Eli and Chris cover all aspects of the trade, what the Cavs lost, what did the Cavs gain... leaving both CtBers wondering if there could possibly be more moves on the horizon? The duo also hits on the other "big" NBA news of the weekend, the buyout standoff between NBA champion Kevin Love and the Cavs front office. According to Adrian Wojnarowski, Love has no interest in a buyout. Chris Fedor of cleveland.com reports that the Cavs are also uninterested in any buyout without Love giving back significant money. Eli and Chris venture some guesses as to what these reports mean as we approach the beginning of the 2021-22 NBA season.

And since CtB traditions are sacrosanct, Eli and Chris pitch some of their favorite things, with Chris name dropping his favorite tequila to drown his Larry Nance Jr. trade sorrows and Eli checking in with the Cavs fandom of South Korea.

Nate Smith and Adam Cathcart make a Transatlantic connection for this week's podcast to go over all the latest Cavs news. First we take on Chris Fedor's "maybe trade Larry" Article on Cleveland.com, and examine Nance's role on the Cavs. Then we go through the Central Division and see if the Cavs can go better than 4-8 next year. We discussed the Cavs' surprising success against the Knicks, Hawks, Sixers, and Nets last season(7-5!) and if they can repeat it this coming year. 

We talked about Chris Fedor's Dylan windler article, talked through any last takes on the Cavs' summer league, teased Tuesday's Evan Mobley article by a mystery writer returning to CtB, said goodbye to Taurean Prince and hello to Ricky Rubio, lamented the Cavs lack of free agents (again), talked Collin Sexton extension (again), and surveyed the landscape of Cavalier beat writers.

It's a fun escape during the dog days of summer!

Wednesday night, Evan Mobley, Isaac Okoro, and the Cavs earned their first victory of the summer with a dominant third quarter performance to put away the Jalen Suggs led Orlando Magic 94-84. The ole ball coach Nate Smith made the call to the bullpen and brought Elijah Kim and Chris Francis off the bench to do a deep dive on the young Summer League Cavaliers now that they've reach the halfway point of schedule.

Eli and Chris cover all aspects of the game, waxing poetic about the virtuosity of Evan Mobley's passing, the feats of strength of Isaac Okoro, the rock solid play of Lamar Stevens, and the Cavs' bench mob stepping up big time. The CtB duo also surveyed the lay of the NBA Summer League land and the latest Cavs' news/rumor about the a possible Collin Sexton extension??? And to top it all off, Eli takes Cavs the Podcast international with a glorious shout out to the Cavs fans of South Korea!

Nate rounds up CtB vets Eli and Chris for a draft/free agency spectacular! The Evan Mobley pick, the Ricky Rubio trade, the Jarrett Allen signing, NBA free agency, they cover it all… including a free agency signing of their own!

That's right, CtB is joining the Fansided podcast network and Minute Media! We celebrated by going deep on the Cavs penchant for centers and guards as if they're trying to exploit some market inefficiency that no one else knows about. We also lamented the Cavs' lack of productivity in the free agency market. Then we went around the league to go over our favorite and least favorite offseasons. Let's get it started, and as always, go Cavs.

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.

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!

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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.

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!!!!!!!!

'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.

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!!!

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.

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.

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.

reference.com/players/w/woodda01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_medium=linker-&utm_source=direct">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 reference.com/players/w/windldy01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_medium=linker-&utm_source=direct">Dylan Windler (the South Paw Ginger reference.com/players/k/korveky01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_medium=linker-&utm_source=direct">Kyle Korver) is, reference.com/players/o/okorois01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_medium=linker-&utm_source=direct">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 reference.com/players/y/youngtr01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_medium=linker-&utm_source=direct">Trae Young is the absolute worst, MVP choices, coach of the year, and a ton of other fun topics.

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.

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!

Tom and Nate hopped in the booth to instapod and gush over what we just saw: the best performance in the best game by a Cav since the James' trip to La La land. We explored the meaning of "Scary Hours" like two Dads would do and dreamed about whether the Cavs should cash some chips in to chase a playoff spot this season.

Collin Sexton might have stolen his new nickname from Drake and the Nets' big three. With Kyrie Irving joining James Harden and Kevin Durant for the trio's first game together, the Cavs paid no attention, Wednesday, to the names on the jerseys, going on a 16-0 run to close the first quarter behind the hot shooting of Cedi Osman. Despite nurturing and watering a lead to a 14 point cushion in the third quarter, the Cavs let the Nets hang around and then paid the price as Brooklyn tied it up, and used shoddy officiating to deny the Cavs a final shot to win it before overtime.

In the first OT, all seemed lost when the Cavs trailed by five with about a minute left before crucial jumpers from Jarrett Allen and Larry Nance Junior kept Cleveland close and then Collin Sexton put the game on his back. After putting back an airball to cut the Nets lead to one, the Cavs played the free throw game before Collin Sexton burned and annoyed Kyrie Irving by tying the game on an iso left wing three point dagger.

Larry Nance shut down KD's left baseline J with 1.2 seconds left to force double super secret overtime before Sexton exploded in the second OT. Youngbull kept backing up and kept swishing threes, going 4-5 from deep and dropping a whopping 15 in the final five minutes. It was the most exciting explosion of basketball talent trying to express itself since LeBron Raymone James suited up for the wine and gold.

By a minute and a half left, Sexton had assumed the "Scary Hours" moniker and single handedly put Steve Nash on the hot seat. But lets not ignore the the contributions of Collin's teammates. With seven Cavs in double figures and major contributions from new Cavs Jarrett Allen and Taurean Prince, this was a total team effort with Sexton playing the role of ace closer. Eye popping lines like Cedi's 25/7/7, Larry Nance Jr's 15/8/5 with four steals, and Prince's 17/7/4 and +20 were the norm for a Cavs team that isn't fully healthy yet, and suddenly looks electric. Hell, Javale McGee didn't even play in this game. We can't wait to see the next one when Garland and Windler are back.

Any time you Podcast with Tom Pestak, It's like you're waking up Bucky Barnes from the cryo chamber as you fill him in on everything that's happened in the NBA since the last time he was on a podcast. Wednesday night was no different, Elijah Kim and Nate Smith filled him in on today's blockbuster trades, out of which the Cavs acquired Jarrett Allen and Taurean Prince. It was certainly a lot of fun as we went long on the implications of this trade, where the Cavs stand, and whether the Cavs will make any more moves.

After that we went over the last two clunkers for the Cavs, discussed the veracity of the injury report, pondered the enigma of Kyrie Irving, and lamented the Cavs' absolute dearth of wings. After the NBA talk died down, we got into Nate's embarrassing video conference faux pas, Tom's MRI Journey to Mordor, and Eli's quest to find the Wizard of Za. Now if we can just get Tom back in the freezer and survive the coming polar vortex.

The Cavs ran out of gas against Orlando for the second game in a row, Wednesday. A consistent theme of this game was injuries, as the Cavs were down six guys going into the night, and could be down seven after an ankle injury to Dameyan Dotson limited him to just 15 minutes. But the worst injury of the game came on a fairly innocuous play in the first quarter when Markelle Fultz blew his ACL driving on Isaac Okoro. It was a heartbreaking moment for the kid, and the Magic took it out on Cleveland for the rest of the night.

This game wasn't as close as the final score. Cleveland was down 19 by the end of the third quarter, and as much as 23 before garbage time started. As on Monday, Cleveland just didn't have enough scoring and competent NBA bodies to compete with Orlando's depth. Cleveland was running two center lineups and giving major rotation minutes to G-League rookies.

Ryan Yankee and Nate Smith broke it all down in the podcast booth: Andre Drummond's foul trouble, Cedi's bad shooting (0-7 from three), Collin Sexton's superior scoring (21 points), the Cavs' defense, Javale wondering where he was on the court, icing out Ice Okoro, and so much more. Finally we went through the list of current NBA free agents and debated whether the Cavs should dump any of their end of the roster guys to pick up some old Cavalier friends. It was a fun one!

After a late scratch by Joel Embiid, the Cavs boat raced the unsuspecting Sixers Sunday, and posted another monster second quarter (35 points) to spring to a 14 point halftime lead. They won the final two quarters as well, with their lead ballooning to as much 32 points in a game that may open some eyes around the Association. If there is one thing that has excited Cavs fans in this 3-0 start it's the play of Darius Garland, whos' been absolutely scintillating averaging 19 points and 8.3 assists a game, and leading a team that is second in the NBA in assists.

But the real revelation has been Andre Drummond who is playing like a defensive player of the year candidate so far, and whose gravity around the basket is opening up the entire offense for the rest of the Cavs. He's got five blocks and eight steals already in three games to go along with 20/15/4 averages.

There's so much to love about this Cavs team so far, and in many ways, it's all falling into place in a "best case scenario" way most of us didn't expect. To break it all down, our own EvilGenius returned to the podcast booth with Ryan Yankee and Nate Smith. We talked about the game and how the Cavs ambushed the Sixers, as well as how the Cavs players all seem to have improved significantly since last season. Cedi, Collin, Darius, Andre, Larry, and more all seem better. Only Kevin Love seems to be struggling to return to form.

Given that, we dared to dream about whether this is sustainable, and if it is what the Cavs should do with Andre Drummond. Do they think about extending him? Do they make any trades? Who do they pay? It's an interesting and fun discussion as we dove into a pretty deep analysis of all the Cavs' players.

Frohe Weihnachten, Cavs fans!. It's a Christmas Miracle! Ben Werth joined Nate Smith in the podcast booth after a three year absence! Ben, a resident of Germany joined us from Berlin, and we talked all things Cavaliers. The biggest discussion: what will the starting lineup look like. We both concluded that if the Cavs want to win, they'll start Cedi and Okoro over Sexton or Garland (we were split on which one to bench). But since they likely don't want to win, the Cavs will end up starting a pair of tiny Elves at the guard spots.

We snuck down and rattled the presents under the tree as we went through the Cavs roster and gave our thoughts on the coming NBA season: who starts, who sits, who makes the rotation. We also weighed in on all the Cavs youngsters: Sexton, Garland, Okoro, KPJ, Dylan Windler, and our not-so-tiny Tims at the end of the bench, Dean Wade and Thon Maker. There was a lot of Cavs to talk through before we even got to the NBA as a whole and walked through a season preview for the East and West.

We broke down who finishes at the top, who finishes at the bottom, and how they get there. We tried to to track some of the many movements in the NBA offseason. It will be good to open some of these presents when the NBA tips off on Tuesday, when we get to watch some real NBA action in empty gyms around the league. It's a fun listen, for Elven and Human ears.

Isaac Okoro has captured Cavs fans' imaginations with his stellar play so far: the economy of his game, his defense, his ridiculously overbuilt NBA body, and most importantly, his ability to make winning plays look effortless. As such, the winning slogan of the 1952 presidential election is also the titular theme of this podcast.

Ryan Yankee joined Nate in the podcast booth to gush over the young rook and break down the Cavs preseason so far. (Though Nate stressed small sample size). We walked through the most recent preseason games, and analyzed the likes of Dylan Windler, Darius Garland, Cedi Osman, Andre Drummond, Thon Maker, and Dean Wade. We also made fun of Tom Thibodeau, puzzled over the Pacers, and gave big props to J.B. Bickerstaff.

It's a fun walk through the Cavs preseason and we can't wait for the the regular season to Kick off.

Tom, Nate, and Eli make a long awaited return to the podcast booth! This was a fun one, as we discussed a whirlwind NBA offseason, the Cavs' draft and free agency, and all the news from around the NBA. Tom Pestak has been decidedly out of the loop when it comes to NBA news, so we added a couple games to make the proceedings more fun, and to get Tom up to speed. Tom took a swing at the game made famous by the Chuckster on Inside the NBA, "Who He Play For," as Tom tried to  guess some of the NBA free agent moves. In "Real or Fake" he tried to figure out if some of these NBA names like Facundo Campazzo were real or made up.

Tom topped that off with a Kafka-esque tale of trying to shop health care options, while Nate and Eli expressed their biggest regrets (Nate's involves a planetarium, Eli's a PS5). It was a fun and random ride as these long time compadres celebrated a return to NBA action.

THE CAVS WIN THE LOTTERY AGAIN! Ok. They didn't technically win the lottery. But hopefully all the players I hate will be gone by the time they pick at number five. David Wood, Elija Kim, and Nate Smith live-podded the lottery, and then Jude Elysiam (Ryan) subbed out for David to mock the whole draft. That was just the start of the marathon as we broke down the Cavs roster and figured out who would remain a Cav after the coming off-season and at the end of the next season. Then we picked the current playoff series. WHEW. It was a marathon.

Here's our mock draft. Tune in to listen to us break down all the picks.

1. Timberwolves: Anthony Edwards
2. Warriors: James Wiseman
3. Hornets: LaMelo Ball
4. Bulls: Tyrese Haliburton
5. Cavs: Deni Avdija
6. Hawks: Devin Vassel
7. Pistons: Killian Hayes
8. Knicks: Onyeka Okongwu
9. Wizards: Obi Toppin
10. Suns: Isaac Okoro
11. Spurs: Aaron Nesmith
12. Kings: Aleksej Pokuševski
13. Pelicans: Patrick Williams
14. Celtics: Saddiq Bey

Lamenting our stasis and the state of the national conversation, Nate Smith and Tom Pestak jumped into the virtual podcast booth to try to get back into a Cavalier mood. They started out taking bets on whether the NBA would resume this season, and then talked a little about the only NBA topic of late. ESPN's The Last Dance documentary and the Jordan era Bulls spurred a discussion of how Jordan would do in today's era, and then what a lousy teammate he was. It sparked an interesting follow-up: who is the least liked great Cleveland athlete?

For Tom, it's a pivotal member of the Cavs' championship. For Nate it's probably a Cleveland Brown great. We dove deeper into ranks, breaking down ESPN's top 10 and top 40 NBA all time list as we talked about the greats. We both thought Kobe was a leetle high at 9, and that Nash was way too high at 30. That led us down a road of ranking the all-time Cavs and reviewing how our 2014 #CavsRank list holds up. We discussed the rankings and how key guys from the Cavs' championship stack up with the guys on that list. Where do you put TT, Kev, and J.R?

Finally, Tom and I got into some stories of awful salesmen: Tom relayed a tale of a ridiculous door-to-door exterminator, and Nate learning to never give his number to a lending website. Consternation ensued and confrontation ensued. Stay safe everyone, and hopefully there will be more basketball in all our futures.

If you want an in depth discussion around Covid-19 from someone who actually knows what he's talking about, this is the podcast for you. Long time CtB die-hard, Simmo, just happens to be a viral immunologist, and we saved up a couple weeks worth of questions and topics around Covid-19 to bounce off his brain. This is our least basketball-centric, and most educational podcast ever. Buckle up for Covid-19 homeschool. 

We started out with an update on the homeschool situation, the TP situation, and the Covid-19 situation in Simmo's native Australia and what the response there looks like right now (with a sidebar on Australian History and Politics). Then we got into what the curve looks like around the world. Then we plunged into the weeds, man.

• Transmission Rates (R values) and what the spread Covid 19 might look like and how our view of the virus could be changing.
• The thinking has really changed asymptomatic carriers being major spreaders
• The recommendation is to wear masks when out of the house now because of this.
• What's the difference between the innate and acquired immune system?
• For the ~20% who are symptomatic, the virus can be very dangerous. Why?
• The Cytokene storm: what causes some people to get extremely sick when their immune system goes into overdrive?

Unfortunately, the answer to many of these questions, is we don't know because the virus is so new and that testing and recovery are really hard. But it's an absolutely educational discussion as Tom and I asked Simmo a raft of questions. Then we talked about some good news around the virus and treatment, including.

• Convalescent Sera (antibody serum plasma) treatments
• How antibodies work and how they lose efficacy over time
• The BCG Vaccine (for Tuberculosis), could it really lower the mortality rate of Covid-19?
• Chloroquinine, the antimalarial drug. Real promise or a hoax? 
• How long are we going to be in this situation?

After all that, we got into some less serious topics.

• Could the NBA play in a bubble? 
• What's the latest the NBA could go?
• How long would it take players to ramp up?
• What's the stupidest thing you've done during quarantine?

Thanks to Simmo who put up with our questions like a champ. Stay safe. Stay educated. We're in this for the long haul. Go humans!

We were joined by long time listener, first time caller, Jason as we discussed the TP situation in the Pestak household, what's it like to homeschool, and how we're all keeping sane.

Next up, we talked about the economy and what the new normal might look like in terms of player salaries and the financial future of the NBA. We discussed what the playoffs might look like if they do occur for 2020. We got into our favorite Covid-19 memes, and then talked about the insanity that is the Netflix tour-de-force, Tiger King. After that we got into Mike DeWine, the DeWine family, and Greene county politics. It was a lot of fun. Stay safe out there, peeps.

Wow. What a few weeks it's been for the Cavs, as they've gone 5-6 since the all star break and have played their best ball of the season... a season that likely will be cut short by a global pandemic. Yep. Talk of "the Roni," as some of the kids are calling it, featured heavily in our first podcast in a month. Tom and Nate desperately needed to get into the podcast booth to talk about the surreal times we're living in, and we hope you're jonesing for some content to get you through the long hours of social distancing.

First off, Tom's out of TP. Second, Nate's trying not to horde, but compulsively shopping whenever he can (though not excessively). Don't worry, though, your tapwater will be the same Monday as it was last week, and next week the shelves of your happy grocers will be stocked again. (Pro Tip: check out your local Asian grocery if you're short on supplies. And yeah, we just mostly just had some "WTF is going on, and why has Nate been so OCD about all this?"

We did manage to squeeze some NBA talk into the pod early, as we went over the team's solid play, the tragedy of Delly's resurgence being cut short, Larry Nance, and the polarizing Collin Sexton. We went through the NBA and looked at who was hurt and helped most by the work stoppage (assuming a playoffs will be played), and waded into the morass of the Utah and Rudy Gobert situation.

Then we got to talking about all the distractions of the last few days and the effect social media has on our brains. Tom pitched the book Deep Work and Nate talked about meditation, and his struggles with anxiety and mental health in the last several months. It was a choose your own adventure at that point as we steered towards Jamele Hill, the madness of Twitter mobs, Dan Gilbert, and... trees.

To celebrate a rare victory, Nate Smith and Tom Pestak welcomed our prodigal brother Eli Kim back to the podcast booth after an eight month absence! Yep, the fingers behind @CavsTheTweets was in studio and we covered topics ranging as far afield as a Trae Young three point attempt. We covered the brutal Clips loss, and the jubilant win against Atlanta, and then oscillated wildly: Korean cinema (go see Parasite!); what players have been in the dunk contest and the three point contest; how we see the playoffs shaping up; why do the Cavs keep nominating Collin Sexton for player of the month; what makes The Office so good; why is Vince Carter on the Hawks; the Cavs being a top ten revenue team; and so so much more.

Nate Smith, David Wood, and Tom Pestak slunk to the podcast boost and lamented the lost opportunity against the Knicks. Nate spent a lot of time ranting about John Beilein. David Wood wondered whether coach was a plant to lose games. All agreed that Kev really was playing his butt off to get out of dodge. We complained about the game's horrendous officiating full of moments that literally would've been personal fouls in the NFL. We growled at the Knicks pinball bumper lineup of power forwards that seem straight out of a 2K video game.

In brighter news, the Super Bowl brought good memories to Nate, and we spent a good deal of time reminiscing about the commercials, J-Lo and Shakira, Patrick Mahomes' brilliance. We then got on the subject of the insane pyramid scheme recruiting email Nate had received and how the folks at SOS Success Dynamics really captured the Zeitgeist of this Cavs squad. We're still hoping for "maximum spillover" and that the Cavs will "cycle" soon, despite having (as Nate alleged) destroyed this rebuild year with dumb movies that toxified their tradeable assets.

Nate was ranty and took on the Cavs, the NBA, and commercials to task for their awfulness. While we pulled out the trade machine for a few trade scenarios for KLove. Finally, David Wood regaled us with his movie treatments: a basketball themed remake of the Cage/Travolta classic Face Off, but with Koby and Will Smith , or his Indie hit, Neck Tattoo Criminal 3: Fonzie Scheme, a crime noir about running out of stolen leather coats. Trust us. It's a wild ride.

No fan base in American sport ever loved a player the way Lakers fans loved Kobe. We grieve for them and all the families who lost so much today. Tom Pestak and Nate Smith got into the podcast booth and mourned the death of Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna, and all the victims of the tragic helicopter crash in California today.

Tom Pestak's basketball fandom was intertwined with years of sportshate for Kobe Bryant, and he'd spend hours trolling messsage boards and combing through stats: arguing with Kobe stans to prove that Kobe was the inferior player to LeBron. "Ringz was always their answer." As he and Kobe grew older, it seemed a silly pursuit and Tom gained a grudging respect for Mamba, especially for his never ending competitiveness, and his embrace of being a husband, father, and mentor.

Our best Kobe memories: Games against LeBron in 2008, the Game Seven against Phoenix in 2006 when he refused to shoot, and the last game of his career. In that game, Tom came full circle and was rooting Bryant on to 60 points.We went into Kobe's influence on LeBron and how his singularity of focus was why Kobe was the heir apparent who took the torch from Michael Jordan.

We got into some Cavs history and reminisced about the last twenty years and more, and how Kobe was there for almost our entire adult love affair with the NBA. There's so much history here, and so much lost today. Hug your kids and realize that life is precious. Via Con Dios, Kobe.

Tom talked Nate off a blogging ledge as they briefly touched on the game and then spent a good 90 minutes talking about everything. Why do we do these things we do, like write, blog, play music, perform standup comedy, or podcast about Cavs games? What is the point? We Dad-bitched about how much it work it is to have a full time job, kids, and to do something you love, and if it's worth it. Tom Pestak's grounded nature came in handy as we went over the NBA, the Cavs, personal finance, bitcoin, having a five year plan, realism versus romanticism, and why we see ourselves in professional sportsmen. We went over officiating, the existential crisis caused by instant replay, why NBA coverage denigrates its own game, how (not) to withdraw large amounts of cash from the bank, the CoCoMelon basketball song, and so much more.

Nate Smith and David Wood got in the podcast booth to break down Tristan Thompson's big game and the state of the Cavs as a whole. We went over TT's monster night, Beilein outcoaching Dwane Casey, the slugs/thugs debacle, Andre Drummond, "yay" or "nay?", who should be in the all star game, what it's like to get cooking appliances for Christmas, and our favorite topic, the infuriating Collin Sexton.

G'Day! Since acquiring Dante Exum to join his countryman Matthew Dellavedova, the Cavs are now tied with the Sixers for the Association lead in Aussies. What better occasion to post a podcast that is 50% Aussie!? Nate Smith was joined all the way from Perth, Australia by long time commenter Simmo, and the half Australian EvilGenius. We told the John Dory about what got Simmo into the Cavs in the first place, what it's like to watch the NBA in Australia and who the most popular Aussies in the association are. Rapt in our early impressions of Dante Exum, we took a squiz at the sports scene in Oz (it's a Dog's breakfast), and had a sook over the sweltering heat of the down under summer.

Since Australia starts the new year 13 hours before Ohio, we thought it would be great to have a go at our Cavalier and NBA new years resolutions. We had a Captain Cook at the roster, John Beilein, and the Cavs' front office as we tried to figure out how to deliver the goods to make the Cavs and their players better in the long term. This one's a ripsnorter and a great way to close out the greatest decade in Cavalier history.

Nate, Ryan Yankee and EG congregated around the yule log with some egg nog and cookies. We discuss tonight's contest, the state of the roster post JC departure, and whether or not new Cav, Dante Exum, will make any sort of impact. We also give out our annual Santa's Wish List items to all the Cavalier players and front office members. Ryan apparently has a LOT of pH balanced water to give away, Nate went more traditional, and EG... well, let's just say EG probably just stands for Evil Grinch for this one.

David Wood, Tom Pestak, and Nate Smith were around to take in this very weird Cavalier game, and break down what went well and what went wrong. What's with the subtitle? Well, Tom spent a long time late in the podcast talking about the Linux distro "Peppermint" and a short time early in the podcast talking about Chris Parnell's tattoo in the movie Hot Rod. This one's weird.

We went off on the Cavs, John Beilein, Kyrie Irving, the midseason tournament idea, the rise of the upperclassman in the NBA draft, Kevin Love's defense, his untradeability, and whether teams would rather have Marvin Williams. And that was just the NBA talk. The non-NBA talk ranged from the the problems with teaching youth shooting and the dangers of playing "knock-out," the scourge of corporate email, the inefficiency of large organizations, Rocket league, e-sports Raspberry Pi, whether or not to tuck a t-shirt into your jeans, and rec league basketball.

We took a tour of what ails the Cavs and the NBA we tooted our own horn a little bit that we're still here, and still fresh since 2008.  In an era where the media, players, and the Association itself seem flawed and unable to protect the game and their brand because of their inability to be honest with themselves or look beyond the hot take du jour, we're still fresh, unadulterated, and unsponsored: speaking our minds, staking out uncomfortable opinions, and not caring who we piss off. We're still pure... and completely full of ourselves.

Full of laughter, we three blowhards, Ryan Yankee, Nate Smith, and Tom Pestak, gathered in the podcast booth for our most disjointed podcast in years. As Tom and Ryan dropped in and out we took on an array of subjects: the game, Kevin Love, Depression, Pickup Basketball, Sexland, the Cavs' lack of size, the ridiculousness of the National Teambuilding Association, officiating woes, the scourge of flopping, and so much more. We had a long talk about the NBA's ratings plummet and what ails the Association and even forced ourselves to name a couple things we love. Tom spun a tale of home improvement disaster and Nate and Ryan tried to pick the Cavs' best starting lineup.

Nate, David, and Tom got in the podcast booth dissected the Cavs win over the Wizards and the NBA at large. Topics included a story of Tom raging about League Pass, a trip down Amnesia Lane to take a look at the 2007-2010 Cavs, David discussing how to really annoy opponents in rec league basketball with habits that include "touching their calves," and Nate explaining the rules to cockroach poker. We didn't want to go to bed. Like the Cavs, we were just having too much fun.

Nate Smith, EvilGenius, and Tom Pestak piled into the podcast booth with the World Series and a comical Rockets/Wizards 321 point basketstravaganza playing in the background. The three amigos broke down topics from around the Cavs and the Association, including Tristan Thompson's newfound offensive excellence, John Beilein's entertaining postgame analysis, Cedi Osman's evolving role, the Cavs young trio (Sexton, Garland, Porter Jr.), and the Italian Anthony Davis.

It's been over six months since we got to experience a regular season Cavs game. With the NBA tipping off tonight, and the Cavs getting it started tomorrow, Nate, Tom, and Ryan Yankee hopped in the podcast booth to preview the Cavs and the NBA. We went pretty long in the tooth on this one, talking all things Cavs: starters, Beilein, what success looks like, and even our thoughts on the Cavs' new play-by-play guy. We went deep on the NBA, taking on all the big storylines and going through all the over/unders, and the awards for every team. It was an NBA extravaganza. It's a fun couple of hours.

Get ready Cavs fans... with the leaves turning, a new season is just around the corner, and who knows what shades of wine and gold it might bring? So many things are new and different, from the head coach to the players the the very landscape of the NBA. And, while some things will never be the same, as with the untimely passing of Fred McLeod recently, there's a lot to look forward to, however uncertain the outcome might be.

To wax unpoetically about topics ranging from these mystery Cavs to youth soccer adventures to the masked, brittle-boned philosopher Kyrie... Nate, Tom and EG filed into the podcast booth this evening. We do our best to keep things light, keep our expectations firmly in check... and speculate on what should be one of the more interesting seasons in the Association in recent memory.

 As the slow NBA summer drips like molasses on a hot Ohio day, about the only new information we have regarding the Cavaliers is that they're predicted by most prognosticators to be the worst team in the League this season. The Worst? I mean... Kevin Love isn't exactly chopped liver... and the wine & gold do have some promising young talent. But, sure... maybe they really want to make sure that Atlanta trade never nets the Hawks more than two second rounders.

To discuss the dismal view on the Cavs, Nate and EG spent a lazy summer evening in the podcast booth. We attempted to look for bright spots, but also wondered aloud about how much worse the US Men's Basketball Team can get, how much worse things could be for certain paper thin NBA benches this season, and much more. Nate included his search for a basketball worthy shoe, and EG started a re-naming contest for the Clippers. Yeah, we got waaaay too much time on our hands... pass the liverwurst.

 So long… Farewell… Aufwiedersehn… Goodbye! I leave and heave a sigh and say goodbye…

For well and for true, the Mike Longabardi Era is finally at an end  in Cleveland as he joins Sashi Brown as part of the crack team of former  Cleveland sports icons Ted Leonsis has wrangled together. So, of  course, we had to jump in the podcast booth and talk about it.

Nate, Tom (for a while), Eli and EG gave the long and short of the  defensive “wizard’s” time here, and also hit on Kevin Love pulling out  of Team USA activities, the  probable issues of free  agency tampering in the NBA, and finished our marathon recap of the  offseason moves of the Western Conference. There’s also plenty of  irrational shade for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander from EG, possibly  irrational love of Brandon Clarke from Nate, sharp So Cal criticism from  Eli, and out of context outrage about rice cookers from Tom. So, your  average two hour plus, insane content jammed Thursday night pod in the  dead of summer…possible

Sorry we've been absent for so long this off season... but it's been one of the longest, slowest and most inactive in Cleveland Cavalier history. Sure, there was some flow on draft night... but the action has trickled to the point where even those new rookies barely saw the court in the Summer League. The one thing that did happen, is that the team at long last officially parted ways with J.R. Smith. The featured graphic pays tribute to the man with the pipe, as we fondly remember all of his contributions, hijinx and antics over the course of his illustrious stint in the wine & gold.

To further reminisce about JR's time with the team, Nate, Tom and EG shook off the summer doldrums and poured into the podcast booth. We also touch on the Cavs' summer of sloth, give our grades on how the rest of the teams in the East did on their summer vacation, and spend a bunch of time breaking down our top sports movies of all time. There's even bonus content of Tom explaining a physics book he's reading and Nate explaining what Stranger Things is to Tom. Yeah... so... how's your summer going?

Whew. That was a close one. Almost lost EvilGenius who pledged to ghost this team if they ended up with Bol Bol. Fortunately for us, the Cavs passed. Bol ended up lasting until the 44th pick, when the Nuggets traded with the Heat to grab the oddly proportioned human. After the 26th pick, the Cavs followed up their selection of Darius Garland at No. 5 by selecting Dylan Windler of Belmont. During the pod, they surprised us all by trading back into the first round and grabbing Kevin Porter Jr. from USC, who'd been rumored to the Cavs as early as the late lotter.

Nate Smith, Evil Genius, Eli Kim, and Tom Pestak all squeezed into the podcast booth for a draft pod, and broke down all the Cavs' big swings: the pros and cons of Darius Garland (and his Jedi Robes), the surprise of J.R. Smith being moved on draft night, and the Cavs' and the NBA's focus on shooting. Then we  picked the biggest winners and losers of draft night. Winners included Atlanta, Memphis, Cam Johnson, and definitely New Orleans. Losers included Boston, Phoenix, and Jay Bilas' draft board. We wrapped it all up with some talk of NBA free agency, a tour San Diego's finest eateries, and tales of Tom Pestak's little league savants.

Not a ton happening with the Cavs as we careen into The Finals, but that doesn't mean there aren't interesting things to talk about happening around the Association. So, if you'll forgive our Memorial Day weekend coverage lapse, as we spent more time hanging with our respective families in lieu of deep dive profiles into upcoming draft prospects, hopefully you'll enjoy some humorous deviations.

Nate and EG hung out for a spell in the podcast booth to muse a bit about the draft, reflect on a wild Eastern Conference Finals, discuss potential Finals outcomes... and, of course dish gleefully about Rob Pelinka's Dark Knight of the soul and dig through the newest layers of the raging dumpster fire that is the Los Angeles Laker franchise. We also finally have a long chat about Avengers: Endgame and a bit of Game of Thrones finale to boot... Spoilers Ahead!!!

Well... the Cavaliers weren't able to pull off another NBA Lottery bonanza tonight... in fact, they fell all the way to fifth behind the Pelicans, Grizzlies, Knicks and Lakers. Whether you believe in karma or conspiracy theories, in the end it looks like New Orleans got a potential lifeline back to relevancy as the almost assuredly winner of the Zion Williamson sweepstakes. Yet, there may still be some sneaky good talent available in the five hole for newly minted head coach, John Beilien to impart wisdom to this summer.

To recap all of the Lottery shenanigans, as well as weigh in on the surprising and polarizing coaching hire, we jammed the podcast booth with three old men, your favorite millenial and his frisky, stereo-tipping canine. We fogged the glass for hours (we had a lot to cover), debating top five mock drafts, throwing down over the projections for Zion's career, mixing it up over the coaching decision and much, much, much more. In a pod that easily went to four overtimes, EG relates his epic witnessing of Game 3 between the Blazers and Nuggets in Portland, Nate regales us with his own Pablo Torres story, Tom spins a massive yarn about his daughter's confusingly overzealous softball coach, and David bodyslams us all with a pancake throwing wrestling metaphor... Seriously, you might be as old as Coach Beilien when you get to the end of this.

Nate Smith and David Wood had a much needed reunion in the pod booth. There isn't much going on as far as the Cavs are concerned, so they hopped around the league. They went into James Harden's foul seeking Rockets and how their methods make them feel. They talked about the twiggy stature of this years draft class and their favorite players: De'Andre Hunter and Brandon Clarke. From there they hit on whether or not college players should be getting paid.

And, as if that last topic wasn't hot enough for you, they tackled a real dividing question:

Who is the tallest player in the NBA who can't Dunk. They might not know the real answer, but they know the heart and soul of the no-dunking team is Raymond Felton.....

Because if he could, there would be new rims left in the league.

Of course, there's NBA playoff talk too.

Speaking of not dunking? Why is it that Kyle Lowry seems to be a no-show every year? Can the 76ers real do some damage? Will anyone challenge the Warriors in the West and their enjoyment of the Nuggets-Blazers serious? Why does Al Horford get so much love?

If you survive all of serious topics, you get to hear their Game of Thrones thoughts and why Ohio independent wrestling is really alright.

Because they generally have nothing better to do on a Thursday night in late April... Nate and EG hung out in the podcast booth tonight to catch up. We spend some time touching on the NFL Draft (which the Browns aren't expected to participate in until tomorrow), recapping the first round matchups (that neither of us watched all that much of), keeping tabs on the Cavs' coaching search, and projecting where the league is headed with an increase of lawyer ball, 37 foot daggers, social media beefs and decreased viewer ratings. It's a remarkably short (for us anyway) podcast, but we promise more to come in the next few weeks.

 It's a strangely unfamiliar time right now for Cavs fans. With the regular season behind us, the draft ahead, and maybe only passing interest in this year's first round playoff matchups, it's time to wonder who exactly is in charge? The wine & gold don't seem to be in any hurry to hire their next leader, now that they've parted ways with Larry Drew... though, maybe it could be a former leader of the Charge? Meanwhile, over in Lakerland... is anyone calling the shots now that the Magic is gone? Or, are they just going to make the inevitable Ty Lue hire and hand the reins to LeBron? Full disclosure... we spend waaaaay too much time discussing the purple & gold. Who's in charge here anyway?!

To decipher those things, Nate, Mike and EG hopped into the podcast booth tonight for a spell. We prod through the rumors and purported truths of coaching searches, impending free agency moves, organizational directions, the already weird post season and much much more. Oh, and Nate finally gets to share a few more of his girls basketball coaching stories. We promise there will be nothing redacted...

Welcome to CtB's 200th podcast! On Channing Frye's last night as a Cavalier, in the last quarter of the last game of the season, the smiling big man fired off one last flurry of fireworks... scoring 10 points in just seven minutes. He left the court to chants of "MVP! MVP!" from the adoring crowd at the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse (ay yay yay). The Cavs still lost by a wide margin, but you'd never guess given the rousing ovations bestowed upon Frye and his teammates.Quicken Loans Arena

To recap Channing's launch into retirement, Nate and EG fired up the podcast rocket and climbed inside. We don't just stop at his retirement celebration, but span the rest of the NBA to hit the DWade parade of long goodbyes in South Beach and the sudden (yet pretty expected and classy) Dirk Nowitski sayonara in Dallas. We also shoot over to Los Angeles where Magic hit the ejector seat button without apparently telling anyone... including LeBron, and examine the nearly final playoff picture. Stick around to the end to catch Nate's story about his very own Kobe experience... in of all places, his elementary school girls basketball team.

 The Cavs may have lost a meaningless game in April, but the real story of the night was that Nate and EG were able to defrost C:tB's "Winter Soldier" for an appearance on this latest podcap. Yes, Tom Pestak returns from his deep, frozen slumber to catch up on all the goings on from this past winter of NBA action.

We pick up during the second half of this Cavs continued tank-a-thon, comment on the game, bounce around the NBA to forecast some potential summer moves, and break the news to Tom that Jimmer Fredette is in fact once again a member of the League. Though we'll have to wait for another day to hear TP's rants about the Real Estate Mafia in Dayton... Nate and EG filled up the remaining time discussing who might or might not be suiting up in the wine & gold next season.

The Cavs had another growth spurt as they inched closer to respectability with an entertaining victory over the team with the best record in the NBA tonight. Granted, the Milwaukee Bucks were sans their Alpha and Omega, Giannis Antetokounmpo, yet the wine & gold still did what the purple & gold couldn't the night before. For once, the Cavs were the healthier team, as Kevin Love, Tristan Thompson and Larry Nance, Jr. were all back on the floor... while the Bucks were down to just eight able bodies. Still, it was their fourth straight win at home over a team that's either in or just on the fringe of being in the playoffs.

To give some context on where these young Cavaliers are and how they stack up vs. expectations, Nate and EG hopped in the booth for a few measures of time. We got out the yardstick for the Young Bull and his new Cavs rookie record for most consecutive 23 game performances, used a compass and protractor to fully appreciate how well this squad are running their fast breaks lately, and took a look around the Association to see where some old friends might be falling a bit short. We cap it off with everything from the ever expanding MCU to Nate's difficulties crossing the border. The takes are measured... but the clock never is...