Pelicans Scoop

Pelicans vs. Cavaliers: A View From The Other Side

New Orleans and Cleveland will have a Monday Matinee on MLK Day.

Terry Kimble

Pelicans vs. Cavaliers: A View From The Other Side
Pelicans vs. Cavaliers: A View From The Other Side /
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New Orleans, La- There will be afternoon basketball for the New Orleans Pelicans when they travel to Cleveland to take on the Cavaliers early Monday afternoon. This is the first meeting between these teams this season as both teams are upstarts in their respective conferences. New Orleans is currently 3rd in the Western Conference at 26-17. Meanwhile, Cleveland has a 27-17 record, good enough for 5th in the Eastern Conference.

Terry Kimble of the Pelicans Scoop Podcast interviewed Fansided's King James Gospel's writer Dan Gilinsky who covers the Cleveland Cavaliers. Gilinsky discusses the Cavaliers' season up to this point and previews Monday's game against the Pelicans.

Pelicans Scoop: Donovan Mitchell has been as advertised and maybe even a little bit better through the first half of this season. What has it meant for the Cavs organization to acquire a star of his caliber, still in his prime, to play in Cleveland?

Dan Gilinsky: Mitchell has been everything the Cavaliers could've hoped for, and more. His shot creation, rim pressure and transition play have all been All-Star-level, and his playmaking for others has been crucial as well. While he's only 26, his leadership and big-game experience assuredly should make a difference for this still-young Cleveland team also, as we head deeper into the campaign.

And though it's early on, Mitchell appears to be totally bought-in to the Cavs' direction, and he looks to have fully immersed himself into the city, of which probably has much more character than he could've imagined.

Pelicans Scoop: The small forward position for the Cavs has seemed like a revolving door most of the season. Do you think Cleveland will look to upgrade that position before the trade deadline? 

Dan Gilinsky: You're not wrong about the 3 spot there. I'd have to assume the Cavaliers could very well make a move for a shooting upgrade. Rumors involving potential deals for Bojan Bogdanovic and Tim Hardaway Jr. are there, for one, but personally, I'd more so expect Cleveland to actually pull the trigger on lower-cost options, such as Josh Richardson or Doug McDermott. Either way, more legitimacy at that spot on offense wouldn't hurt, whether it's for a clear starter or as a reserve.

Pelicans Scoop: Kevin Love is the elder statesman on this team and a fan favorite. With this being his final season under contract, do you still see a future for him in Cleveland past this year?

Dan Gilinsky: Despite the year being an uneven one for him thus far, I could foresee Love back with the Cavs following this season. That's reportedly been discussed, and there would figure to be some merit to the possibility. Love is amid a brutal shooting stretch, but he still spaces the floor, is still capable of getting hot at a moment's notice, and he's beloved within the locker room. If I had to guess, I'd more so expect him to be back via a reasonable deal than not.

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Pelicans Scoop: Which player/players have you been most impressed by so far this season?

Dan Gilinsky: As for a few players that have impressed, one would have to go with Mitchell, who should be in the MVP conversation. The expectations were high, obviously, however, he's amid a career year, in an entirely new situation, so his production shouldn't be taken for granted.

A couple of other guys that come to mind were Dean Wade, primary to his AC joint injury, with his two-way abilities making an impact consistently, and while there are some shortcomings with his fit, Caris LeVert quietly had a very productive second quarter. Even with trade rumors, LeVert has been much more viable defensively than I would've expected, and his secondary driving and playmaking has really started to take foothold on a game-to-game basis.

Pelicans Scoop: What is the biggest area of concern for this Cavs team heading into the second half of this season and on to the playoffs? 

Dan Gilinsky: The biggest area of concern for this Cavalier team could feasibly be lack of pure shooters. Players such as the aforementioned Love can get hot on any given night, but Love is not close to what he used to be, and Cedi Osman is capable, but he has inconsistencies as well. Wade can help in this area, and he's gifted defensively; the issue there, though, has to be the injury concerns, when he is back.

From there, it's reasonable to have some questions about what Cleveland's closing lineup, when the group is healthier on the wing, could look like, regardless of a potential trade. Does Ricky Rubio factor in when he's fully back, too, at times? That's another question I have.

Pelicans Scoop: Give us one thing (matchup/lineup/stat etc...) we should be looking for in Monday's game versus New Orleans.

Dan Gilinsky: On Monday afternoon, I'm looking forward to seeing which defensive specialists/impact players on both squads can help decide this game. Players such as Jose Alvarado and Dyson Daniels both are disruptors for the Pels, and fit their uptempo style, whereas for the Cavs, I'd look for Rubio or Raul Neto to make their presence felt in spurts, and/or Lamar Stevens as a big wing defender.

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Terry Kimble
TERRY KIMBLE

Pelicans Scoop Writer

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