Bob was born and raised in Cleveland, OH, to Eleanor and Rock Bauer Sr. (deceased). He is survived by his loving wife, Ann Bauer, and his four children: Joe Bauer, Sharon Cameron (Chase), Julie Spahr (Nate), and Brandy Bauer. Bob was a loving grandfather to Kailey and Payton Cameron, with one grandchild on the way, Jackie. He was a great-grandfather to Ellie and Chase Cameron. He is also survived by his siblings: Wayne Sr. (Fern), John Sr., Larry Sr. (Cindy), DeeDee Hensley (Tom), Darla Rutowski (Lester), Rock Bauer (Debbi), and Janet Bauer. He was a brother-in-law to Joe Butvin (Cona) and Mike Butvin (Paris). Bob was an honorary family member to Kim Johnson, whom his kids affectionately called Auntie Kim. He was an uncle, great-uncle, and great-great-uncle to many. He is also survived by his adored cats, Scout and Angelo.

Bob was a devoted husband and father who did everything to provide for his family. Though raised in Cleveland, he also lived in Indianapolis, IN, and later settled in Delaware, OH. Bob was an avid Elvis fan and a huge fan of the movie Forrest Gump. He was a veteran of the Army, having served during the Vietnam War and was stationed in Germany. He was always proud of his military service. Bob was known for his love of nature, his protective nature, and his humor. He was quick with a joke and famous for his impersonations of Rocky Balboa, Forrest Gump, The Terminator, and countless others. He was the “magic man” to all the kids growing up, famously making quarters appear from behind their ears.

He was strong in his Catholic faith and often read passages during Sunday Mass at St. Mary’s Church in Delaware, OH. Through his faith and inherent nature, he was always quick to offer advice and assistance, whether it be a shoulder to lean on or help with fixing a car. In his younger days, he and his brothers operated Bauer Automotive on Cleveland’s west side.

Bob will be deeply missed by anyone fortunate enough to know him.

Family and friends are welcome on Saturday, July 13, 2024, from 5 to 7 p.m., at Slone & Co. Funeral Directors 13115 Lorain Ave. Cleveland, OH 44111. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Saturday, August 24, 2024, at 10:30 a.m., at St. Mary Catholic Church 82 E. William St. Delaware, OH 43015. Inurnment St. Mary Catholic Cemetery.

GAMBLING PROBLEM? CALL OR TEXT 1-800-GAMBLER (AZ, CO, IN, KY, LA, NC, NJ, OH, VA) or 1-800-BETS OFF (IA). 21+ only (18+ in KY). Must be present in AZ/CO/IA/IN/KY/LA (select parishes)/NC/NJ/OH/VA. Deposit required. Paid in Bonus Bets. Bonus Bets wager excluded from returns. New Customers only. T&Cs, time limits and exclusions apply.

The Cleveland Cavaliers entered the offseason without a whole lot wiggle room in terms of their financial situation. If they were going to legitimately improve, they were going to have to get creative.

That’s why it is not at all surprising to see the Cavaliers essentially sitting on the sidelines in the early stages of NBA free agency.

The free-agent period kicked off Sunday evening, and Cleveland has been relatively silent. There were some Cavs rumors, but nothing all that concrete. Instead, the Cavaliers have watched as some of their top Eastern Conference competitors have added key pieces.

But should Cleveland fans panic? Not really.

Again, this was expected. The Cavs have very little money to give to free agents, and they are understandably more concerned about extending Donovan Mitchell than they are about signing other players.

That isn’t to say that the Cavaliers should stand pat entirely. They do need to make a move or two, whether that comes via trade, a shrewd free-agent signing, or both.

The New York Knicks traded for Mikal Bridges. The Philadelphia 76ers signed Paul George. The Orlando Magic landed Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.

These are the teams Cleveland is competing with in the Eastern Conference, and they are all getting better.

The Cavs won 48 games and finished with the No. 4 seed in the East this past season. They were able to best the Magic in a tight seven-game series in the first round before losing to the Boston Celtics in five games. No one is expecting the Cavaliers to beat the Celtics next year, but Orlando was right there with Cleveland this past season.

Now, the Cavs have to worry about a young, upstart team like the Magic potentially surpassing them (remember: Orlando just finished one game behind the Cavaliers in the standings). But unlike the Cavaliers, the Magic actually had the cap space to make a significant addition. So did the 76ers.

The Knicks, on the other hand, did what Cleveland should be doing: they got innovative. New York had to worry about re-signing OG Anunoby (which it did) and still has to concern itself with retaining Isaiah Hartenstein. But that did not stop the Knicks from swinging a major trade for Bridges.

Of course, the question is, what can the Cavs really do? They don’t really have a treasure trove of assets, and any truly groundbreaking trade they could make would probably involve moving one of their big four, which they do not want to do.

Not only that, but Brandon Ingram—who has been mentioned as a potential trade target for the Cavaliers—is entering the last year of his deal and wants a max contract. Cleveland is reluctant to give that to him, which could mean the New Orleans Pelicans will end up sending Ingram elsewhere (and the Sacramento Kings are evidently interested).

The Cavaliers are caught between a rock and a hard place at the moment. They obviously want to make some changes in order to better position themselves for a deeper playoff run next spring, but they don’t want to break up their core. Plus, Isaac Okoro is a restricted free agent. Yes, Cleveland can match any offer, but that’s just money the Cavs will have to spend to keep one of their own guys.

We knew it wasn’t going to be easy for the Cavaliers this summer. It may really just be about maintaining more than anything else. Perhaps the best thing Cleveland can hope for is the improvement of young players like Evan Mobley and Darius Garland.

There are certainly still some low-cost options out there. Cleveland has already been urged to pursue Indiana Pacers free agent Jalen Smith, for example. But there is no doubt that the free-agent pool is starting to run a bit dry, and it wasn’t all that rich to begin with.

We’ll see what the Cavs have up their sleeves