On 'The Bill Simmons Podcast,’ Bill Simmons made a very strong point about the trade that brought Darius Garland to the LA Clippers. Simmons mentioned the fear that Cleveland Cavaliers fans should have, as there is a chance their front office made a detrimental fumble at the deadline. Why, because they made the oldest mistake in the book, which is rare, of trading Darius Garland, a youngster about to hit his prime, for an aging superstar.
Honestly, Simmons is right; Clippers fans have been saying this since Garland began to pop off in red, white, and blue. When it’s all said and done, giving up the 26-year-old may go down as one of the worst moves Cleveland’s front office has ever made.
Of course, time will tell, yet the regret may occur quicker than most think.
Cleveland will soon wish they could go back in time and keep Darius Garland
Fans of the Cleveland Cavaliers are watching Darius Garland flourish from a distance, in awe, thinking they once had him. This has to be the only thought flowing through their minds concerning Garland, as he’s been on a tear over the last five games, with averages of 25.0 points, 7.8 assists, and 2.2 rebounds, shooting 58.7% from the field, 58.1% from beyond the arc, and 92.3% from the charity stripe.
For context, Garland is recording this type of scoring, and particularly a high level of efficiency, on 15.0 attempts per game, 8.6 from three, while helping the Clippers go on a perfect five-game win streak.
Garland has somehow managed to produce these numbers in just 29.7 minutes per night. That’s nothing short of impressive, and it has taken the league, and most notably the city of Cleveland, by storm.
If that wasn’t enough, Garland has recorded a net rating of 23.0 during this span.
The two-time All-Star has been effective, efficient, and impactful, which inevitably has Cavaliers fans wondering what Cleveland did wrong.
Not only could the Cavaliers have gotten so much more for Garland, but they would also have been so much better had they never made the trade and maximized him the same way the Clippers have.
There is no doubt their entire organization is currently sitting in regret, hoping James Harden doesn't disappoint in the playoffs. Because if he does, and Garland boosts the Clippers further, things will look a lot worse for the Cavaliers, which is their fans’ worst nightmare.