Cleveland, OH
3 Things That Must Happen For a Successful Cavaliers Season
The Cleveland Cavaliers have not been very busy in terms of making additions this offseason, but they have made a couple of key moves for the future.
First and foremost, the Cavaliers reached a three-year contract extension with Donovan Mitchell, which will keep him in Cleveland at least through 2027 (he has a player option for the 2027-28 campaign).
The Cavs also made a coachign change, going from J.B. Bickerstaff to Kenny Atkinson.
Both of those moves can be seen as steps forward, although the switch from Bickerstaff to Atkinson is obviously open for judgment.
That being said, the Cavaliers’ roster largely looks like last year’s, save for the addition of rookie Jaylon Tyson and the potential loss of Isaac Okoro, who is a restricted free agent.
So, what does Cleveland need to do in order to have a successful 2024-25 season?
Here are three things that must happen.
One of the biggest needs present on the Cavs’ current roster is a three-and-D wing.
The Cavaliers thought they had that in Okoro, but he has been a rather significant disappointment since being selected with the fifth overall pick of the 2020 NBA Draft and is coming off of a miserable postseason showing.
Cleveland specifically needs a large wing who can defend some of the bigger swingmen in the Eastern Conference (e.g. Jayson Tatum and Paul George). The Cavs don’t really have that at the moment, which is why there have been rumors about them potentially pursuing Brooklyn Nets forwards Cam Johnson and Dorian Finney-Smith as well as New Orleans Pelicans star Brandon Ingram.
The Cavaliers have a rather small lineup in general, featuring a triumvirate of Max Strus, Mitchell and Darius Garland (Strus is the tallest member of that group at 6-foot-5). They need someone who is 6-foot-7 or above to effectively guard bigger wings.
Evan Mobley is a gifted player. There is no doubt about that. However, his production somewhat stagnated over the last couple of seasons.
After averaging 16 points and nine rebounds per game in 2022-23, Mobley proceeded to register 15.7 points and 9.4 rebounds a night this past season.
Yes, Mobley improved his efficiency a bit, but he still hasn’t really expanded his range, and his offensie repertoire remains basically unchanged.
Some have surmised that moving Jarrett Allen and placing a floor-spacing big alongside of Mobley up front would allow him to blossom, but great players should be able to flourish (or at least show signs of improvement) regardless of their situation.
Can young players be inhibited or have their growth stunted? Of course, but Mobley is preparing to enter his fourth season. By now, he should be taking it upon himself to get better.
In order for the Cavaliers to truly have a successful campaign next season, Mobley will have to show quite a bit more improvement than he did this past year.
If there is any member of Cleveland’s “core four” that stands a significant chance of being traded between now and October, it’s Darius Garland.
Will Garland be dealt? Probably not, but if the right offer comes along, the Cavs may feel urged to pull the trigger.
Garland is coming off of a rather lackluster 2023-24 campaign in which he averaged 18 points per game on 44.6/37.1/83.4 shooting splits. He was even worse in the playoffs, recording 15.7 points a night while posting a true-shooting percentage of 52.2 percent.
There have been a lot of questions about whether or not Garland can play alongside of Mitchell, but he didn’t seem to have much of an issue doing so in 2022-23 when he tallied 21.6 points per game in what was the most efficient season of his career.
Durability has certainly been a problem for Garland, as he appeared in just 57 games this past season and has never played 70 in any one campaign.
But it also seemed pretty clear that Garland looked a bit out of place this year, which lends credence to the notion that perhaps he isn’t exactly the best backcourt fit with Mitchell long term.
If Garland gets off to a slow start in 2024-25, don’t be surprised if the Cavaliers seriously entertain trading him before the deadline.
Cleveland, OH
3 Northeast Ohio men charged in DOJ’s nationwide child-exploitation sweep
CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) – The Department of Justice announced the results of Operation Relentless Justice Tuesday, resulting in three sex abuse offenders from the Northern District of Ohio.
Operation Relentless Justice is a coordinated enforcement in an effort to identify, track and arrest child sex predators.
According to a press release by the United State Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio. 205 child victims were located and 293 child sex abuse offenders were arrested nationwide.
The three offenders from Northern Ohio arrested are:
- Jeremy J. Miller, 34, of Maple Heights, was charged with receipt and distribution of visual depictions of real minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct, possession of child pornography and obscene visual representations of the sexual abuse of children. One of the images involved a minor under age 12.
- Tevon J. Hunter, 30, of Lorain, was charged with receipt and distribution of visual depictions of real minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct, transportation of visual depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct.
- Anthony C. Hayes Jr., 44, of Maple Heights, was charged with receipt and distribution of visual depictions of real minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct and possession of child pornography. One of the images involved a minor under age 12.
The effort was executed over the course of two weeks by all 56 FBI offices, the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) in the Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney’s offices across the nation, the release said.
“Protecting children from sexual predators is one of our office’s highest priorities. We will use all legal tools available to pursue, arrest, and aggressively prosecute anyone who seeks to exploit or harm a child,” said U.S. Attorney David M. Toepfer for the Northern District of Ohio. “We are grateful to the FBI Cleveland Division for their incredible work to find those who perpetuate these atrocious behaviors.”
The Department urges the public to remain vigilant and report suspected exploitation of a child through the FBI’s tipline at 1-800-CALL-FBI (225-5324), tips.fbi.gov, or by calling your local FBI field office at 216-522-1400.
Copyright 2025 WOIO. All rights reserved.
Cleveland, OH
Rock-n-Roll Hall of Famer’s journey starts in Cleveland
CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) – Life’s been good for Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Joe Walsh.
He left a local band, the Measles, and replaced guitarist Glenn Schwarts, who moved to California and joined Pacific Gas & Electric, in Cleveland trio The James Gang in 1968.
It didn’t take long for the music world to notice.
“Guys like Jimmy Page, Led Zepplin guitarist, were like, ‘Oh my God, who is this guy,’” said longtime friend and former manager David Spero. “Pete Townshend, of the Who, when he saw the James Gang, invited them to come and do their European tour.”
“He’s absolutely one of the greatest guitar players out there,” Spero added. “(And) he’s an amazing songwriter.”
But before fame and notoriety, Joe Walsh, born Joseph Fidler in Wichita, Kansas in 1947, came to Northeast Ohio to attend Kent State University.
“Joe became Joe Walsh in the Cleveland area,” Spero remembered. “Kent State, while they were playing, learning the game, coming up through the clubs, opening for this act or that act and then becoming a headliner, that all was drinking the Northeast Ohio water.”
He returned to Kent State for May Fourth commemorations and remains close to friends in the area, even after he joined seventies, Southern California supergroup, The Eagles, for their masterpiece, the “Hotel California” album.
“He’s a major part of the Eagles and if people go to see them live, that last half hour, forty minutes of the show is pretty much all Joe,” said Spero.
Joe Walsh was inducted into the Rock Hall with the Eagles in 1998 but friends, fans, and colleagues say there should be more nominations.
“Joe Walsh deserves to be like the Eric Claptons or Neil Youngs, a three-time guy,” said Spero.
“The James Gang as a power trio,” he said of other nominations for Walsh’s music like “Funk 49″ and “Walk Away.” “The stuff he has done as a solo artist has been huge, ‘Rocky Mountain Way,’ ‘Life’s Been Good.’”
Known as “Average Joe” and “The Clown Prince of Rock” for some of his antics, Walsh wild side is legendary.
“Joe had gone out and bought an electric glue gun and proceeded to take everything in his hotel room and glue it on the ceiling,” Spero remembered. “I think that bill was about $59000. So Joe was a bit crazy.”
But Spero says, at heart, Joe’s just a Northeast Ohio guy.
“When Joe looks back on things, he’s so fond of this area,” Spero reminisces. “Home is where the heart is, I think he would say Northeast Ohio.”
“He’s a good guy,” Spero concludes. “He has that Northeast Ohio mentality.”
Copyright 2025 WOIO. All rights reserved.
Cleveland, OH
How to watch the Cleveland Cavaliers vs. New Orleans Pelicans game tonight: Time, Streaming, Breakdown
Oh man, what a great game to watch as a Cavs fan. The Cavaliers pulled out a massive win against the Hornets, getting revenge for their overtime loss. Offense was on fire, Darius Garland had a double-double. Donovan Mitchell had 30 for himself, and we saw the return of De’Andre Hunter dominance in a 139-132 win.
Now the Cavaliers (16-14) play another team that has yet to reach the 10 win mark in the New Orleans Pelicans (8-22). They should not be taken lightly though as they have recently had a resurgence in the season with a five game winning streak.
They have not let rumors of some big trades affect them in this run either. Zion has not played a ton of games yet but since his return the team has looked rejuvenated under interim head coach James Borrego.
The win against the Hornets was massive for the Cavs with Owner Dan Gilbert being reportedly very concerned and players like Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen being in trade rumors.
Watching last night’s game, one of the few concerns should be centered around the defense. Up by as much as 19 in the fourth quarter, they only won by 7 in the end.
It was one win for the Cavaliers, but it felt like an earned win that could flip the season. Cleveland is still being patient with reigning Coach of the Year Kenny Atkinson despite the rough start.
Where to find the Pelicans vs. Cavs game tonight?
Channel: FanDuel Sports Network – Ohio
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Pelicans vs. Cavs Injury Report
Pelicans: Dejounte Murray (achilles) is out.
Cavs: Max Strus (foot) is out. Larry Nance Jr. (knee) is out. Evan Mobley (calf) is out.
Probable Starting Lineups
Pelicans
Pelicans vs. Cavaliers predictions, odds, best bets
Odds: Cavaliers by 9.5
O/U: 244.5
Cavaliers 134 , Pelicans 125: Defense seems to be the question here. They can score as much as they want, but can the Cavs with Evan Mobley stop a team from scoring a ton.
New Orleans is among the worst defensive teams in points allowed in a game and are worse than the Cavs when it comes to rebounding, which is a rare occurrence this season. Cleveland has all the tools to go out and blow out the Pelicans if they can get their team together.
Cavaliers 2025-2026 Schedule
- Thursday, Dec. 25 @ New York
- Saturday Dec. 27 @ Houston
- Monday, Dec. 29 @ San Antonio
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