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
’27 DE Munir Lewis Commits to Louisville
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Make that a trio of commitment in the Class of 2027 this week for the Louisville football program.
Cleveland (Oh.) Brush defensive end Munir Lewis announced Wednesday that he has committed to the Cardinals. He’s the third commit in the last four days for UofL, Bradenton (Fla.) Cardinal Mooney defensive lineman Kaleb Exume committing on Sunday and Tampa (Fla.) Carrollwood Day two-way athlete Brooklyn Maxey doing so on Monday.
Lewis chose Louisville out of a top seven that also consisted of Ohio State, Michigan State, Illinois, Vanderbilt, Virginia Tech and Purdue. He also held offers from Cincinnati, Minnesota, Wisconsin plus several others, and made multiple visits to UofL’s campus – including this past Friday for the spring game. He’s set to return for an official visit this May.
The 6-foot-5, 245-pound defensive end is regarded as the 23rd-ranked prospect in the state of Ohio, the No. 50 edge rusher in the Class of 2027, and the No. 592 recruit in the nation, per the 247Sports Composite.
Lewis was an explosive force for Brush as a junior this past season. He collected 55 total tackles, 13.5 for loss, nine sacks, four pass breakup, a forced fumbles and over 20 quarterback pressures. He helped Brush finish the 2025 season with a 6-4 record.
Lewis is the 12th commitment in Louisville’s 2027 recruiting class, which is on pace to be the best in school history. he joins a class that not only ranks as the best class in the ACC, but the No. 8 class in the nation, per the 247Sports Composite. Four of their commitments are regarded as four-star prospects by the composite.
He’s also the latest in a budding pipeline to the state of Ohio, which has been championed by Executive Director of Football Personnel and Recruiting Vince Marrow. Five of Louisville’s 12 commitments in the 2027 cycle are from the Buckeye State, with three hailing from the Cincinnati area and the other two coming from Cleveland.
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Cleveland, OH
American Cornhole League Cleveland Signature Open | April 24, 2026 | Greater Cleveland Sports Commission
American Cornhole League is bringing the heat to the boards in Cleveland with $150,000 on the line. Join us on April 24-26, 2026, for elite competition where amateurs and pros collide. Whether you’re a backyard ringer or a seasoned veteran, this is your chance to…
Cleveland, OH
Houston Astros at Cleveland Guardians prediction, pick for Tuesday 4/21/26
Garion Thorne gives you a preview, prediction and pick for tonight’s game between the Houston Astros and the Cleveland Guardians.
Few teams needed a win last night more than the Astros.
Houston came into Monday’s action having lost 12 of its past 14 games, while also having lost nearly as many pitchers — at least it feels that way. Just take a quick glance at this club’s IL. Hunter Brown (shoulder), Tatsuya Imai (fatigue), Cristian Javier (shoulder). Those aren’t losses that are easy to survive, and the Astros have understandably been struggling. However, after a dominating 9-2 victory, Houston can at least take a small breath.
Can the Astros make it two in a row this evening? Or will the Guardians bounce back? Let’s preview this AL clash and make a couple picks on the DraftKings Sportsbook.
Astros vs. Guardians prediction, preview
So, remember that list of injured Astros pitchers I just recited? The consequence of the length of that list, is that you have to start people like Ryan Weiss. That’s not to suggest that Weiss is completely without promise — he was a stud in the KBO in 2024 and 2025 — it’s just that the right-hander’s MLB career has gotten off to a slightly rocky start, and it’s clear that Houston currently prefers the 29-year-old as a reliever. In 14.2 innings of work, Weiss has racked up 18 strikeouts, but he’s also surrendered four home runs, 11 earned runs, and a sixth percentile opponent hard hit rate (54.5%). Weiss isn’t quite built up to be a starter, either. Well, at least not fully, as he threw a season-high 76 pitches in his last outing. That means we’re probably going to have to see a lot of the Astros’ bullpen on Tuesday, which is not a good thing. Houston’s RPs rank 29th in ERA (5.66) and they’ve served up a league-high 1.89 opponent home runs per nine. Yikes.
On the other side of this pitching matchup, we find another starter with little major league experience. That said, Parker Messick already looks like another developmental success story of the Guardians’ pitcher factory. The former second-round pick debuted in 2025, maintaining a 2.72 ERA and a 2.98 FIP across seven starts. If possible, Messick’s looked even better so far in 2026, allowing a mere three earned runs over 25.2 innings. Now, a .200 BABIP isn’t going to sustain. Neither is a 91.4% strand rate. However, when you’re limiting opponents to a 3.3% barrel rate and a 29.5% hard hit rate, you might just get a little “lucky” from time to time. It’s not like the southpaw has been skating by on a soft schedule, either. Messick has faced the Dodgers, the Braves, the Cubs and the Orioles. There isn’t a single cakewalk in there.
That pattern of difficult matchups will continue on Tuesday, as well. For as underwhelming as the Astros’ record is, it’s mostly a byproduct of poor pitching. The offense has actually been one of the best in all of baseball. Houston actually leads all American League teams in wOBA (.350) and wRC+ (124), with Yordan Alvarez leading the charge. He’s been fantastic in left-on-left scenarios, too. In his 36 plate appearances within the split, Alvarez is slashing .448/.528/1.034 with a 315 wRC+. I don’t want to discount Jose Ramirez, who has six homers and 10 stolen bases for the Guardians, yet a healthy Alvarez is easily the best bat in this series. He’s that good.
Astros vs. Guardians pick, best bet
Best Bet: Jose Ramirez 2+ Total Bases (+107)
Weiss has a 6.27 FIP. The Astros’ bullpen has given up the most opponent home runs per nine (1.89). Ramirez probably won’t be in a single bad matchup this evening, and that’s before you factor in that the All-Star is a switch-hitter.
Strong Lean: Ryan Weiss 4+ Strikeouts (+123)
While Weiss’ surface numbers aren’t great, he has managed four strikeouts in two of his three outings where he’s thrown 60+ pitches. He’s struck out 18 in 14.2 innings and I expect he’ll flirt with the 90-pitch plateau on Tuesday.
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