Forget About Dre
By: Ethan Tabor
The Cavs are in the midst of an awful road trip. I understand that the Western Conference is pretty good and road trips like this can take a toll, but this is honestly pathetic. 7 straight losses, and we have lost by 17 or more points in 6 of those 7 games! Just two weeks ago, we were 10-11 and looked like we could fight for a playoff spot. Today, we look like a lottery team and sit at 13th in the Eastern Conference.
Today’s news, is that the Cavs will no longer play Andre Drummond as we look to trade him. We acquired Drummond from the Pistons last year, in exchange for Brandon Knight, John Henson, and a 2023 2nd round pick. I remember the day, simply because I was in Vegas, half drunk on free casino beer at noon and ecstatic because we traded NOTHING for an elite player.
The big man has led the NBA in rebounds for as long as I can remember. He can be sporadic at scoring, but he’s also a defensive stud when he’s putting forth the effort. Drummond has been near the top of his position in steals and blocks since he first saw relevant playing time in Detroit.
Today’s NBA game has evolved. In the 80’s and 90’s a guy like Andre Drummond would be playing for his 5th MVP already. Steph Curry and the Warriors have brought this new style of play, where shooting 3’s and a fast pace have taken over the game. I understand the move, specially when Jarret Allen was acquired for next to nothing as well from the Nets, but I still hate it. I feel bad for Andre who comes off as this cancer for teams and an irrelevant big guy, simply because big guys don’t have the relevance in today’s league that they once did. I have no doubt that a solid center will help a team win a championship, even in today’s NBA. At the same time, I understand why we can’t keep him. Drummond will require a max salary or damn close to it and do we really want to spend that on a Center?
The Cavaliers started this season off great and you can’t convince me that Drummond wasn’t a huge part of it. Since we acquired Allen and since we cut the minutes for Drummond, the Cavs have seen a 6-7 start turn to a 5-11 record since. I know it makes sense financially, but damn! Let’s just hope we actually get something in return and don’t look as bad as the Pistons did a year ago next week. Go Cavs!
