Of the three players on two-way contracts with the Cavaliers, Evan Mobley‘s brother Isaiah Mobley and former five-star recruit Emoni Bates are the bigger names. However, it has been Cleveland’s third two-way player – point guard Craig Porter Jr. – who has been emerging as the one with the most important role in the short term.
As Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com writes, Porter earned the game ball from Sunday’s upset win over the Nuggets by scoring 21 points on 7-of-10 shooting in 25 minutes of action. It was an impressive showing for an undrafted rookie who was expected to spend most of his first season in the G League getting acclimated to the pro game. Porter has received an opportunity to play because Ricky Rubio is absent for personal reasons and Ty Jerome is out with an ankle injury.
“That’s just one of the things they told me early in the year after training camp and stuff like that. ‘Just be ready, you never know when your number’s gonna be called,'” Porter said. “I took that to heart and it’s been working for me. … As the games go on and as some guys fall down with injuries and stuff, I’m going to keep getting my opportunity. Each game, the confidence just builds and builds. The coaches believe in me, and the guys are just pushing me to be better. I’m ready for it.”
According to Fedor, the Cavaliers had a verbal two-way offer on the table for Porter in the event he went undrafted, but the team wanted him badly enough to try to acquire an additional second-round pick after drafting Bates at No. 49. Cleveland ultimately didn’t find a trade partner, so the front office was relieved when Porter went undrafted. He reached an agreement with the Cavs on a two-year, two-way deal shortly after the draft ended.
“He’s mature,” head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said of the 23-year-old. “He’s an older rookie, so to speak. You just feel like you can trust him and you don’t feel like he gets rattled in the moment. It makes it easy to put him on the floor. You know what he’s going to do. … A lot of guys come into the league as young rookies and they’re still searching for their game. Craig knows what his game is. Never over his skis. That’s how Craig has been for us since he’s gotten here.”
Here’s more from around the Central:
- The chemistry between Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard in Saturday’s win over Dallas looked like what the Bucks envisioned when they traded for Lillard, writes Eric Nehm of The Athletic. The star duo combined for 67 points, 19 assists, and 18 rebounds in the victory, with Antetokounmpo racking up 40 of those points. Lillard said after the game that he’s happy to cede center stage to his two-time MVP teammate. “I think tonight, he’s the horse,” Lillard said. “I wanna see him be four-time MVP or five-time MVP and have those type of games.”
- Sunday’s blowout home loss to Orlando was Tyrese Haliburton‘s worst game of the season and a reminder of how dependent the Pacers‘ success is on their star point guard, according to Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star, who suggests that the club will probably need a second star on its roster to establish itself as a consistent winner.
- Due to a sprained left shoulder, Killian Hayes missed Sunday’s game for the Pistons, who started second-year guard Jaden Ivey for the first time this season. As Mike Curtis of The Detroit News (subscription required) writes, head coach Monty Williams said before the game that he has been considered bringing Hayes off the bench to add his play-making to the second unit, so Ivey may see more starts going forward. However, Detroit’s lineup remains in flux with so many players affected by injuries — it could continue to change in the coming days and weeks, Curtis notes.
JB Bickerstaff really needs to play Isaiah Mobley more. Like, I get that he trusts veterans more, but Damian Jones is awful, Tristan Thompson is just “fine”, and Dean Wade isn’t aggressive. Isaiah Mobley just dropped 23 and 12 in his first G-League game of the season and was totally unafraid of contact. We need that for when one of Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen is on the bench. Or both of them! And over-playing either of our starters isn’t the right move either. Isaiah is ready. Let him play over Damian Jones, at the minimum.
Damian Jones always does this, joins a new team and plays decent but when the next season starts he is awful and always gets traded. I completely agree with you on this one. I know you won’t like this one but I think Keldon Johnson would be great for them (with Osman back) Trade Okoro, Wade, Damion Jones, Tye Jerome, Merril and Bates and cash for Keldon Johnson, Bassey and Osman. With the Spurs waiving Jones, Merril and Jerome. Then the cavs promote Mobley and Porter. Have Max and caris come off the bench for the cavs. The cavs would have a good deep team. Spurs would have two young good young prospects in Okoro and Bates
I don’t necessarily *dislike* it, but I’d rather not trade Okoro for a guy who is really inconsistent like Johnson. Strus has been way better than expected given that he’s effectively the 5th option on offense. 6th if Caris is on the floor. 14/6/4 on decent efficiency and solid enough defense (he checked Michael Porter Jr. who is five inches taller than him yesterday [yeah, Porter scored 21, but he looked *really* flustered and had to pass up a fair number of shots; normally when he’s that hot you can’t stop him], and has been decent or better all year regardless of his assignment) is plenty as far as that goes. We desperately need Okoro’s perimeter defense. We’ve been bad all year in that regard.
I’m fine with just cutting Jones and bringing up Isaiah from his two-way. And while Dean Wade isn’t one of my favorites, he’s good in the right situation. He’s just more of a defensive wing than any kind of big, and that’s the role he’s been pigeonholed into without anyone better than Jones on the roster. Bringing up Isaiah solves that and improves our perimeter defense by freeing up Wade in one move. Especially since Niang looks to be clicking a bit better.
Isiah outgrew summer leauge right before my very eyes. He is at the point where the Cavs have to do something with him or trade him to a team that can really use him.
The Wizards are in desperate need of someone that can step in and let fly.
I mean, they actually don’t, which is why he’s still on a 2-way deal. If he was on a standard contract, I’d agree. But until this season ends, they don’t have to make any decisions about him personally. I just want them to play him for the sake of, y’know, *winning*. The point of competitive sports.
I appreciate you responding back to me and I really appreciate your insight. What about Okoro, Jones, Jerome and Bates for Thybulle, Reath and draft capital. Portland then waives two players. Cavs then promote Mobley and Porter Jr
Send Merrill too*
Thybulle can’t be moved until January 15th and has the ability to veto a trade this season, thanks to signing as a RFA near the end of the offseason. That said, I’d rather have Okoro because he’s about the same caliber and type of player; maybe a little less, but cheaper, younger, and with more room to grow. Including Bates also isn’t to my preference. Might be an idea for us to revisit nearer to the trade deadline, though. I do like Thybulle a lot.
I am sure Thybulle would sign off on the trade. Okoro and Bates are younger and would be better off in Portland. I would rather have Thybulle switching out with caris and Max. There is no need for young players in this team. Trade Okoro, Bates, Merril, Jones and Jerome and get Thybulle and someone else while Portland waives some people. Promote Mobley and Porter jr and then look at the free agent pool. I have been looking at everyone in the g league, undrafted and players elsewhere, there are some decent players out there still. Or another idea when I look at everyone’s ages, Mitchell is 27 and Allen is 25 while everyone else is 23 and younger, look for a young SG and C to develop with Garland and others. Trade Jones, Jerome, Merril and Bates with picks for a SG and C (AJ Griffin and M Gueye only deal I see) or trade them for a salary dump and sign some free agents that is 23 or younger, then promote Mobley and Porter jr.
We don’t need trades right now. The team is showing signs of pulling itself together and overcoming the injuries that hampered them at first. Okoro is almost identical to Thybulle physically and does the same things at a similar, equal, or even superior level. Trading him +more to get a more expensive guy when we already have Thybulle’s exact skillset doesn’t make any sense. If we were going to make any trades, it would be for a more offense-oriented wing with high physicality, or for a 3pt shooter we can plug and play. The defense is improving every game. If we could get Thybulle for cheap, sure. But not for the proposed price tag here. Too high, and there’s not a point to the move.
Really, at this point, we have all the pieces we need. Just play Isaiah Mobley over Jones, give Porter run while he’s active, move Wade to play more on the wings, and let Bates develop. That alone would improve us more than any non-star trade at the present time.
I would do a salary dump trade with Jones, Merril and Jerome with a 2nd for someones draft rights. Promote Mobley and Porter jr. Sign Pete Nance to a two way. With one roster spot open for a buyout candidate and one two way open. (Some two way candidates are Jazian Gortmen (Bates age), Sharife Cooper, Antonio Davis, Kai Jones, Liam Robbins, Yuri Collins, Donovan Williams, Caleb McConnell, KJ Williams, kylor Kelly, Jaylen Martin, Jake Stephens, tavien Kinsey, Nick Ongenda, Gora Camara). Plus TJ Warren deserves to be in the league
We have the players we need if we choose to use them. We could easily dump Jones promote Isaiah Mobley and find another spot for Porter. We could then make Pete Nance a 2 way player and maybe Cooper. Anyway we have the horses . Bickerstaff is just afraid to break them in.
JB has it in his head that Isaiah is a babysitting job to keep Evan happy. Which is why he keeps putting guys in front of him that are less skilled. I am told That last fall Isaiah had a timid training camp which was Bickerstaff’s first impression of him. Isaiah didn’t find himself until late in the Charge preseason. This season he is playing like a man possessed averaging 23 points 11 boards and 4 assists for the Charge. I hope JB is paying attention. In time all 3 of our 2 way players should be signed to standard deals. That said with Strus healthy and Okoro plus LeVert both playing well there’s no need to rush Bates. We need Isaiah and Porter now. Obviously we could drop or trade Jones to make room for Isaiah Mobley. We have an extra spot for Porter but like to keep a spot open. We could trade or release Rubio if we are certain Porter is the better player. Rubio gave the team a boost back in the fall of 2021 when we discovered that they had a good team. Porter has skills Rubio never had and plays above his height. He is a defensive stopper who gets to the rim and rebounds like a forward. He also has no rust from injuries and a mental health pause. Rubio is at the end while Porter is a young junk yard dog. Anyway they are the bench guys we need to get past The Knicks, Heat or whover we face.
Porter Jr made my first team along with Bates out of the summer leauge. He was ripping through people like it was nothing.
I distinctly said that at some point the Cavs were going to have to make a serious decision on him. He may be better than some on that team that are making a lot more money.
I am not surprised with this statement and i am completley happy for Craig.
Caruso to the Pacers solves the problem.
For Tj McConnell and picks?
What would you give up for Caruso if you’re Indy? Jarace Walker? Mathurin?