Commentary: Plenty of incentive for Cavs not to lay another egg in the playoffs

Now that the most worthless and embarrassing All-Star game in the history of All-Star games is over, the NBA has gone back to work and so have the Cavs. It's go time. Counting tonight's game against Orlando, the Cavs have 29 games left to get ready for the playoffs, from whence they were so rapidly and brutally expunged and exposed last season. As you may recall, the docile Cavs were simply outmanned, overpowered and chased out of their own gym by New York's voracious Knickerbockers, who took the Cavs' lunch money, stomped on their glasses and laughed all the way to the second round. For the Cavs, lesson learned. They were out-muscled, out this-ed and out that-ed and bounced from the playoffs in five games. It was the Cavs' first appearance in the playoffs since the 2017-18 season, when you-know-who was still here and they made it all the way to the NBA Finals but were swept by the Warriors in four games by the cumulative score of 464-404. Last season's five-game paddling by the Knicks revealed all the Cavs' shortcomings and, to their credit, they were addressed during the offseason. The most glaring roster hole was their powder-puff bench, which contributed next to nothing, especially offensively. The Cavs addressed that issue by adding scorers Max Strus and Georges Niang, plus sharpshooting Sam Merrill. The bench bunch also now includes veteran Caris LeVert, Craig Porter Jr. and dependable Dean Wade. The importance of the improvement of the Cavs' bench cannot be overstated. Among other benefits, it allows coach J.B. Bickerstaff the luxury of not having to over-use his starters. The backups frequently can maintain or even extend the lead when the starters need some down time. Defensive specialist Isaac Okoro's improved 3-point shooting has been a pleasant and necessary surprise. Teams no longer simply ignore him standing unguarded in the corner. That's because Okoro can make that shot now. His shooting on 3-point attempts has improved by 30 points over last year, from .363 to .393. Since the addition of Donovan Mitchell to the starting five, scoring points has ceased to be a problem for the Cavs, and the same can be said of preventing points. The Cavs' +5.7 points differential — a critically important statistic in all sports — is fourth in the league. If you are hunting other those-are-good-sign stats that could bode well for the playoffs, keep reading. The Cavs' 17-8 road record is the best in the Eastern Conference. Last season, the Cavs had five players who had scoring averages in double figures. This season, they have six. This season, they have two players averaging double figures in rebounds. Last year, they had none. The Cavs have 29 games remaining in the regular season: 13 at home and 16 on the road. The good news is the Cavs have a better winning percentage on the road (.680) than at home (.678). The Cavs also have Mitchell, for whom the Cavs' remaining games, including the playoffs, will potentially go a long way towards determining whether Mitchell decides to decline or accept his player option for next season. This is not quite LeBron-level sweaty-palms time for Cavs fans, but it is also not that far off. Will Mitchell go two-and-done in Cleveland and either force a trade or become a free agent after this season? Or will he stick around for another year and see where that takes him and the Cavs? Getting bounced from the playoffs in the first round like last season wouldn't exactly be the Cavs' greatest sales pitch. In today's NBA, the biggest stars call their own shots and sometimes even create their own teams. On the other hand, there is something to be said for being the biggest dog in a not-big-but-comfortable market playing on perhaps not the best team but a loaded one nonetheless. So there is a lot to be determined for the Cavs in their remaining games in the regular season and the playoffs. Let's put it this way: starting now and for however far the Cavs go in the playoffs, Mitchell, who at 27 is squarely in the prime of his career, will not be auditioning for the Cavs. The Cavs will be auditioning for him. In other words, the Cavs, in these playoffs are going to have to erase the memory of the egg they laid in last season's playoffs. At the very least, that would mean reaching the conference finals — not just to entice Mitchell to stick around for another season but to prove to themselves that this roster has enough of the right stuff to win The Big Trophy without LeBron. Who knows? That same incentive might also apply to Mitchell, for whom the carrot would be winning as many titles in Cleveland as LeBron. Contact Jim Ingraham at jingraham4@gmail.com.