Of the ten teams that played on Christmas Day, the Grinch had his way with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Donovan Mitchell had a full, three-course meal on the New York Knicks, but they lost by four because they were missing a powerful co-star. Cleveland needs someone with a presence; someone with gravity; someone, like James Harden of the LA Clippers.
The Cavaliers’ current point guard, Darius Garland, played well against in Madison Square Garden. He recorded 20 points and ten assists on 50% shooting, and was the only starter aside from Mitchell that competed in the first game of the stacked slate.
However, Garland has missed 16 games, exactly half of the Cavaliers’ 17-15 season, and in the 16 he has been available, the former lottery pick has averaged 17.3 points, shooting 40.3% from the field and 36.8% from beyond the arc; all three marks standing as the second-worst of his seven-year career.
That said, the Cavaliers need to make a splash for Harden. They have a great core around Mitchell, yet need the former MVP's talents to win beyond the second round of the playoffs.
The Cleveland Cavaliers would go from average to elite with James Harden
After a 64-win season, the second most in franchise history behind the 66-16 2008-09 squad led by LeBron James, and the first Coach of the Year trophy in his career, Kenny Atkinson is at a lackluster win-percentage of 53.1. Still good, but far from the 60-win threshold he cleared last season.
They lost assets like Ty Jerome, Caris LeVert, and Isaac Okoro, and added role players like Lonzo Ball, yet a massive fall-off from the first seed to the middle of the Eastern Conference should not have happened.
Moreover, if the Cavaliers searched for the ideal upgrade to Darius Garland in the NBA trade machine, an image of James Harden, followed by an extensive clip of highlights just from this season, would appear.
Harden is currently averaging 26.3 points, 8.0 assists, and 5.0 rebounds. This is a tier that Garland should have leaped towards, given that he was recently an all-star, but appears to have stumbled off track with a handful of low-scoring, inefficient games.
Thus, the LA Clippers would love to hear from the Cavaliers regarding Harden. The 2016 champions have a number of assets that could be escalated through a ceiling, allowing Lawrence Frank to mix and match as he desires.