Crossover World

  Donovan Mitchell was formally introduced as a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday. After being greeted at the airport by a legion of diehard fans, he then addressed the media during his introductory press conference. The weeks and months leading up to his eventual trade were, of course, a key subject.  During one answer, Mitchell said he didn't know where he was going to be traded, but assumed it would be to the New York Knicks. "Honestly I had no idea. My agent called me on a Wednesday and said 'You're going to Cleveland.' Like I said my reaction was what it was. All summer I didn't really say much, I kind of just let you guys do what you do to be honest. I thought for sure I was going back home, not gonna lie about that. But when I found out where I was headed, who I was playing with, the group, the team, the coaching staff. I couldn't be more happier to be here, to be a part of this organization, to be a part of this group, to join these phe...

  Kevin Durant rescinded his trade request. LeBron James signed an extension with the Lakers. Kyrie Irving appears to be staying in Brooklyn. The NBA offseason had reached an anticlimactic placidity over the past couple of weeks, but we know better than to think that would last. Sure enough, the Cleveland Cavaliers came through with a Macho Man Randy Savage elbow off the top rope on Thursday, acquiring Donovan Mitchell from the Utah Jazz in exchange for young players and picks. Mitchell was expected to be traded, but most reports suggested the New York Knicks had the inside track to landing the 25-year-old three-time All-Star. When talks between New York and Utah hit an impasse (reportedly because the Knicks refused to include Quentin Grimes in the deal), the Cavs pounced on the opportunity and positioned themselves as one of the most promising young teams in the NBA. Here's a summary of the reported trade, followed by grades for each team. Cavaliers receive: Donovan Mitchell Jazz ...

  The Cleveland Cavaliers have pulled off a blockbuster trade by acquiring Utah Jazz superstar Donovan Mitchell, per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. The deal has sent shockwaves throughout the league and social media. In exchange for Mitchell, the Jazz have reportedly acquired three unprotected first-round picks, plus two pick swaps. Utah also received Ochai Agbaji, the No. 14 pick in the 2022 draft, Collin Sexton and Lauri Markkanen. After finishing 13th in the Eastern Conference last season, the Cavaliers are determined to take a step forward, and they gave up a haul to acquire Mitchell. Coming off another All-Star season in 2021-22, Mitchell averaged 25.9 points, 4.5 assists and 4.2 rebounds per game. He will be a cornerstone piece for a young team in Cleveland. With the Jazz in full rebuilding mode these days, Mitchell has been on the trading block throughout the offseason. He was linked to numerous teams in that time, including the New York Knicks, but the Cavaliers stepped up to t...

  The 2022 NBA postseason is upon us, and for the second straight year, we'll be treated to a play-in tournament in each conference with the Nos. 7 and 8 seed up for grabs. Below are the eight teams that will have to win their way into the field.  Western Conference: Minnesota Timberwolves (7), Los Angeles Clippers (8), New Orleans Pelicans (9), San Antonio Spurs (10) Eastern Conference: Brooklyn Nets (7), Cleveland Cavaliers (8), Atlanta Hawks (9), Charlotte Hornets (10) The format goes like this: No. 7 plays No. 8 and No. 9 plays No. 10. The winner of the 7-8 game gets the No. 7 seed, while the loser plays the winner of the 9-10 game for the No. 8 seed.  Put another way, the Nos. 7 and 8 seeds get two shots to win one play-in game, while the Nos. 9 and 10 seeds have no margin for error, having to win two straight to get in. One loss, and they're out.  Below is the schedule for each play-in game.  Tuesday, April 12 East: No. 8 Cleveland Cavaliers at No. 7 Broo...

  The Cleveland Cavaliers pulled out a 104-96 victory over the Toronto Raptors on Sunday evening, but they suffered a large loss in the process. Cavs All-Star center Jarrett Allen suffered a fractured finger during the game, and he will be sidelined indefinitely as a result, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic. Allen played just 10 minutes, scored six points and grabbed two rebounds against Toronto.  At this point, it's not known how severe Allen's injury is, or how long he will be forced to remain on the sideline. The injury obviously comes at a tough time for the Cavaliers, who are in the midst of a tight battle for playoff positioning in the Eastern Conference. Following their win over Toronto, the Cavs sit sixth with a 37-27 record on the season. If they can stay in their current spot, they won't have to participate in the play-in tournament. However, if they drop to seventh, then they will. They currently hold a three-game lead over the Raptors for that sixth s...

  LeVert will miss time due to a sprained foot, while Darius Garland will be sidelined for Thursday's contest with back soreness. The Cavaliers are coming back from the All-Star break at less than full strength. All-Star guard Darius Garland will miss Cleveland’s game Thursday night at Detroit with lower back soreness while newly acquired guard Caris LeVert is out 1-2 weeks with a sprained right foot. Garland sat out five games with lower back soreness prior to last week’s All-Star stoppage. The 22-year-old took part in All-Star Weekend activities, scoring 13 points in Team LeBron’s win Sunday. The Cavs have had to overcome injuries all season — leading scorer Collin Sexton and guard Ricky Rubio were lost for the year with knee injuries — and are currently fourth in the Eastern Conference at 35-23. LeVert has played in four games since the Cavs acquired him in a trade with Indiana before the deadline, averaging 13.3 points and 3.8 assists. He’s made one start with Cleveland and Bic...

  When LeBron James left the Cavaliers in 2018, nobody imagined he would ever return. After returning to fulfill a promise, he moved on after 4 years to join the Lakers in Los Angeles, a place he could build up his off-court empire. But now, James is hinting that a return to Cleveland isn't off the table after all. Here's what he said in a chat with The Athletic: Now the only question is whether another picture could go up there again some day. Could James actually return to Cleveland and play for the Cavaliers a third time? “The door’s not closed on that,” James told The Athletic Saturday following the East’s team practice on the campus of Cleveland State. “I’m not saying I’m coming back and playing, I don’t know. I don’t know what my future holds. I don’t even know when I’m free.” James, of course, is a free agent after next season. He is tethered to the Lakers for one more year.  James celebrated his 37th birthday in December. This season is his 19th in the NBA. On the cour...

  This year's four contestants were Obi Toppin of the Knicks, Juan Toscano-Anderson of the Warriors, Cole Anthony of the Magic and Jalen Green of the Rockets. Toppin took home the trophy, but there's no doubt it was a lackluster affair. There were some fun moments. Anthony wore his father's jersey and Timberland boots for his first-round dunk. Toscano-Anderson dunked over teammate Andrew Wiggins. Toppin won it with a sweet off-the-backboard, between-the-legs dunk. But there were too many missed attempts that led to a general lack of excitement around the event. Former NBA star Dwyane Wade gave the entire contest a six out of 10. That tells you everything you need to know right there. Here are a few of the highlights, and some reaction to the contest overall. As for the official scoring, Toppin and Toscano-Anderson moved on to the final with total scores of 90 and 87, respectively, after their first two dunks. Green finished with 83 and Anthony finished with 70. In the final...

  Evan Mobley is having the kind of rookie year the Cavaliers could only dream of, and now he's added another achievement to his resume. The rookie big man hit a half-court shot to end the NBA All-Star Skills Challenge, winning the event alongside All-Star teammates Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen on Team Cavs. The trio beat out Team Rooks (Cade Cunningham, Josh Giddey, Scottie Barnes) in the final event, a race for the first half-court shot. Team Antetokounmpos (Giannis, Thanasis, Alex) came in third, missing out on the finals in a tiebreaker against the Cavs. Previously a race through a sort of dribbling, shooting and passing obstacle course, the NBA retooled the Skills Challenge to make it a team event, but the end result could best be described as bizarre. How the NBA's new Skills Challenge played out The contest broke down like this. Each team of three players competed in a series of four challenges, with the first three granting points to decide which two teams compete i...

  The NBA tweaked the format of this year's Skills Challenge so hard that there's now actually quite a bit of luck that will factor into who wins the revamped All-Star weekend event. I don't think the sportsbooks have factored this into their lines as much as they should have, so it's time to exploit this value on BetMGM. The teams Before we delve into the format and how it's providing us a favorable betting spot, let's take a quick look at the three participating teams and their odds: Team Rookies (-150): Scottie Barnes, Cade Cunningham, Josh Giddey Team Cavs (+200): Jarrett Allen, Darius Garland, Evan Mobley Team Antetokounmpo: (+400): Giannis, Thanasis, and Alex Antetokounmpo The format All three teams compete in the first three rounds, which consist mainly of shooting and passing. The winning team from each round is awarded points — 100 points in rounds one and two, and 200 points in round three. The two teams with the most points advance to the final round,...