The Cavs believe James Harden raises the playoff ceiling
The Cleveland Cavaliers believe the Eastern Conference is wide open right now. Trading for James Harden gives them a better chance of seizing this opportunity.
“We think it raises our ceiling and gives us a chance to have real success in the playoffs,” Cavs president of basketball operations Koby Altman said Thursday.
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“He gives us a different look in the backcourt. He’s 6’5″ and goes downhill, and he’s ninth in the league in drives. It’s strong. It’s creative. I think it’s going to be great for our bigs. I know that Donovan too [Mitchell] he is excited to play alongside him. Obviously, this is not a profession we have taken lightly. But we know that James will help us and so we are excited to welcome him.”
Harden will help the Cavs in many ways. He’s still one of the best point guards in the league, and at this point, he’s a clear improvement over Darius Garland.
“[We’re] I’m really excited about when a chaotic moment comes in the playoffs and we’re on the road, and there’s a fever pitch, being able to throw him the ball and calm the situation down,” Altman said. “Let’s have good ball possession, right? We get good possession when the game gets really, really tight, and there’s noise in that building. We’ve gone to the playoffs the last few years largely as a young team, not a very experienced playoff team, trying to figure it out. Now I think we are adding a huge amount of experience and know-how.”
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Harden is a one-man offense who can seemingly get good shots for himself and his teammates every time on the court.
That said, these comments ignore the elephant in the room. Harden was brought in to help in the playoffs despite being known as one of the greatest postseason chokers in league history.
“We looked at it and studied it very hard,” Altman said. “There’s some elimination games he’d probably like to have back, probably five really bad games out of 173 playoff games. But overall, he definitely raises his level, raises our level. It’s tough to be the number one option on a championship-level team. I think the good news for him is he’s got another number one option right next to him.”
Whether or not Harden will fit in alongside Mitchell remains to be seen. We’ve seen Harden coexist quite well with other ball-dominant players like Chris Paul, Tyrese Maxey, and Kevin Durant. How that translates into sharing the word with Mitchell will determine whether this exchange ultimately pays off.
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What we do know is that the Cavs have a second player who can shoulder some of the playmaking burden in the playoffs. This has been an issue in recent postseason runs.
“When things get really tough in the playoffs, the team takes the game away from you, your second fast break, and we have to put the ball in Donovan’s hands, we have to put the ball in James’ hands, we’re going to have great possession, we’re going to have great possession,” Altman said. “And so that’s really what we’re thinking about. And in the playoffs, I still think it largely comes down to a half-court game when it comes down to it.”
There is also concern that the Cavs play a different type of offensive basketball than Harden. Coach Kenny Atkinson’s teams were built around ball and player movement and transition offense.
Harden’s teams have been the opposite. He thrived on slower tempos and iso-heavy systems. The Cavs hope both sides can meet at the center.
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“We’re going to have to adjust to James,” Altman said. “He’s a really good player, but I think we’ll run again… [Playing fast is] it’s still part of what we do. I don’t think this will end. I know James is a great rebounder, so our forward play is going to be great.
Harden can take the Cavs to another level. Exactly how it will look remains to be seen. There will undoubtedly be a need for give and take on both sides. But there’s a reason this move was made. The skill upgrade is clear and will help when it matters most.
“My job ultimately is to bring the best talent to Cleveland and prepare them for success,” Altman said. “That’s the job. And so we’re bringing to Cleveland one of the greatest players of all time, who’s still playing at an elite level. We couldn’t be more excited.”