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Donovan Mitchell Contract Must Be Cavs' Priority Amid Garland, NBA Trade Rumors

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3 months ago

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Donovan Mitchell Contract Must Be Cavs' Priority Amid Garland, NBA Trade Rumors


David Liam Kyle/NBAE via Getty Images

The Cleveland Cavaliers saw their season come to a disappointing end Wednesday in the Eastern Conference Semifinals at the hands of the buzzsaw-like Boston Celtics, losing the series 3-1.

Despite questions about star guard Donovan Mitchell’s future with the organization in the wake of the loss, The Athletic’s Shams Charania, Joe Vardon, and Jason Lloyd reported, “there is a growing sentiment around the league that the Cavaliers will be able to position themselves to receive his commitment for a lucrative contract extension that would keep him in Cleveland past his 30th birthday.”

They continued, “Teammates have described Mitchell this season as singularly focused on winning and wanting Cleveland to aim much higher than a first-round series victory for its measure of success.”

Therein lies where the Cavaliers must focus their attention if they want to keep Mitchell long-term and happy.

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Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com reported that Donovan “grew frustrated with some teammates’ lack of maturity, focus, playoff-level readiness and a willingness to listen.”

Any player hyper-focused on winning a championship will naturally become frustrated with those around them that they do not believe to be as equally committed to greatness.

Add to that the Athletic report, which details mounting frustration with. and second-guessing of, head coach B.J. Bickerstaff, and there is plenty for Cleveland to address before they get Mitchell to put pen to paper.

Another potential issue is the roster, which may very well not look like it did this past season.

The same report from Charania, Vardon, and Lloyd stated that Darius Garland and his representation may request a trade with the Cavs front office amid diminishing stats due to Mitchell’s role as facilitator of the offense, as well as the idea that “rival executives believe the Cavs will have to seriously evaluate the fit of Mitchell and Garland and ultimately may have to choose one or the other.”

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If the growing sentiment is that the team believes it can retain Mitchell on a long-term deal, it sounds as though the Cavs have already made their choice.

Mitchell averaged 26.6 points per game, shot 46.2 from the paint, and 36.8 from beyond the arc this season. He added 5.1 rebounds, 6.1 assists, and 1.8 seals in 35.3 minutes.

He added 29.6 points in the postseason and was hardly the reason Cleveland experienced the disappointing conclusion to its season.

He is a star in a league full of them and easily the team’s best player. It would be inherently worse without him. Inking him to a deal is a must, as is getting rid of anyone who does not share his vision.

A long-term, max deal suggests that the organization views him as one of the league’s franchise players. Surrounding him with like-minded players, all determined to win the championship that has eluded them, is the right move.

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Even if it means replacing the head coach and trading a player like Garland who may not mesh as well with Mitchell as team officials may have originally hoped.





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Cleveland, OH

2 more suspects arrested in Cleveland shooting outside St. Malachi

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56 mins ago

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August 6, 2024

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2 more suspects arrested in Cleveland shooting outside St. Malachi


CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) – Two more suspects were arrested in the shooting at St. Malachi last Monday.

This comes after the first suspect in the shooting, Richo Samuels, Jr., was arrested and charged Wednesday.

Officers arrested the second suspect Thursday after officers witnessed an alleged aggravated robbery on the 2700 block of Division Avenue.

According to Cleveland Police, officers arrested the suspect, 30-year-old Randall Rayshawn Russell, who is also a suspect in the St. Malachi shooting.

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The third suspect, 37-year-old Rahmean Omar Ponzie, in the shooting was arrested on Saturday.

According to Cleveland police, the shooting happened near the intersection of West 25th Street and Washington Avenue just before 6 p.m. last Monday.

When police arrived on scene, there was no shooter there.

According to a police report, officers found Samuels outside the aquarium nearby, took him into custody, and found a weapon in his possession.

Police said Samuels is suspected of being involved in the shooting in addition to being one of the people who was shot.

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PREVIOUS STORY: ‘Literally at our front door’: Volunteer at Ohio City church recalls shooting that injured 3

RELATED STORY: 3 shot outside St. Malachi Parish in Ohio City

The two other victims in the shooting had injuries that were not life-threatening, Cleveland police said.

Charges have not yet been filed for Ponzie or Russell.

Copyright 2024 WOIO. All rights reserved.

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Cleveland, OH

Cavaliers’ Donovan Mitchell Sounds Off On Stephen A. Smith, Critics

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9 hours ago

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August 5, 2024

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Cavaliers’ Donovan Mitchell Sounds Off On Stephen A. Smith, Critics


Many people cannot handle criticism, whether it’s constructive or unwarranted. But Cleveland Cavaliers star Donovan Mitchell eats it up.

During a recent appearance on the Million Dollaz Worth of Game podcast, Mitchell revealed why he actually likes criticism.

“And when people started talking (expletive) about, ‘Oh, he not that good,’ and I overcame that little hump, that’s when I was like, ‘Alright, bet. I belong,” Mitchell said. “Because they only doin’ that — they not gonna talk (expletive), like you said, about the last guy on the bench.”

Mitchell went on to single out ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith as one of the critics that motivated him.

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“The greats go through the highs and the lows throughout, then that’s when I really stopped listening to the media for real, but that was when I realized, like, oh, you got the Stephen A. Smiths talking about, ‘Oh, he can be this. He can be that.’ And then you start struggling then it’s like, ‘Oh, he’s not this. He’s not that.’ That’s when I was like, ‘Alright, bet.’ You overcome that,” Mitchell said.

Mitchell has a point. Not many NBA analysts are going to focus their critiques on bench players, but when it comes to stars, it’s open season.

Many say that you know you’ve made it when you people start hating, and that’s the angle Mitchell seems to be taking.

And Mitchell has definitely made it.

The 27-year-old has made five straight All-Star appearances and is coming off of a 2023-24 campaign in which he averaged 26.6 points, 6.1 assists, 5.1 rebounds and 1.8 steals over 35.3 minutes per game on 46.2/36.8/86.5 shooting splits.

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Mitchell also just signed a lucrative three-year contract extension with the Cavaliers.

That being said, there is still one major accolade missing from Mitchell’s resume: playoff success.

We’ll see if Mitchell can lead Cleveland on a deep postseason run next spring.



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Cleveland, OH

List Of Athletes That Participated In WWE Public Tryouts During SummerSlam Week In Cleveland, OH.

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16 hours ago

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August 5, 2024

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List Of Athletes That Participated In WWE Public Tryouts During SummerSlam Week In Cleveland, OH.


A list of those who participated in the WWE SummerSlam Public Tryouts in Cleveland, Ohio has surfaced online.

X user @lexveraux shared the following list of male and female talents that took part in the latest WWE tryouts.

Sirena Linton (NCAA All-American Gymnast)
Sofia Grace Iaderosa (Pro soccer player)
Terralicia Mercadel (Track and Field athlete and Powerlifter)
Daryn Harris (Kickboxer)
Emilie Henningsen (Acrobat and Tumbler)
Darci Khan (Track & Field Athlete)
Hayley Montoya (Volleyball Player)
Makenna Turner (Stanford Rowing Team)
Alona Olshevska (NCAA All-American)
Emily Buchette (Lacrosse Player)
Jaiden Fields (Softball Player)
Kaitlyn Banas (Track And Field Athlete)
Karyn Best (Track And Field Athlete)
Kennedy Brace (Track And Field Athlete)
Elena Carter (Track And Field Athlete)
Bayley Humphrey (Gymnast)
Naofal Abouelhouda (Crossfit Athlete)
Elijah Holyfield (Football Player, Son of Evander Holyfield)
Shane Bonner (Defensive End)
Camden Gagnon (Defensive Lineman)
Chase Kline (Linebacker)
Atrilleon Williams (Football Player)
Greg Benton Jr (Football Player)
Jeremy Mercier (Linebacker)
Kyle Klink (Linebacker)
Carlos Aviles (Track And Field Athlete)
Matthew Tago (Football Player)
Isaiah Chambers (Defensive Lineman)
Hayden Hatcher (Linebacker)
Terrance Taylor (Linebacker)
Von Young IV (Football Player)
Jack Freeman (Offensive Lineman)





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