27. Cleveland Cavaliers (12-34)
The young backcourt of Collin Sexton and Darius Garland have been getting all the minutes they can handle, but both need to get better at facilitating with the Cavs checking in at 28th in the league in Assists. Sexton looks to be a really good shooter but needs to find a way to contribute more defensively. Garland is thin and quick and will need to put on some strength to be more effective at the NBA level.
Kevin Love has been decent when out there, but it would make sense to deal him at this point given the Cavs are in contention for winning the Draft Lottery. The fallout from losing LeBron in 2018 free agency, and not getting nearly enough for Kyrie Irving (Jae Crowder, Isaiah Thomas, Ante Zizic, Collin Sexton) means the Cavs had better accelerate the rebuilding process. In a star-studded league, it might be a while before we see this team return to the playoffs, so don’t expect too many wins over the next couple of seasons.
28. New York Knicks (12-34)
The good news is that the Knicks are probably set at Power Forward. Between Julius Randle, Bobby Portis, Taj Gibson, Mitchell Robinson, and Marcus Morris Sr, you’d think the Knicks would at least be among the league leaders in points in the paint, but they’re 26th in that category with only 45.2 a game. It’s increasingly apparent that the Knicks are probably just some kind of toy franchise for owner James Dolan, but at least get the ship headed in the right direction.
GM Scott Perry will be under close watch, but thus far you have to come away less than impressed with what has transpired under his watch – especially when you fire a passionate coach like David Fizdale who had not been given the proper tools or support to achieve success.