Can 2022-23 Cleveland Cavaliers handle being the hunted after Donovan Mitchell's arrival?

INDEPENDENCE — When they traded for All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell, the Cavaliers vaulted into the land of the hunted.

Gone are the days when the Cavs could sneak up on an opponent, the days when they pulled an upset and it failed to move the needle in the NBA.

Since LeBron James left for the Los Angeles Lakers in the summer of 2018, the basketball world knew the Cavs were rebuilding. The only question was how long it would take to return to relevance.

The answer? Four years — impressive considering the franchise-altering trades President of Basketball Operations Koby Altman orchestrated or participated in. That included the blockbuster Sept. 1 deal with the Utah Jazz for Mitchell, which carries expectations of a top six seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs.

Last season, the Cavs finished 44-38, but injuries to center Jarrett Allen and center/forward Evan Mobley down the stretch relegated to them to the play-in tournament. Their excitement ended with a thud as they were eliminated with losses to the Brooklyn Nets and Atlanta Hawks.

As the 2022-23 season opens Wednesday in Toronto, questions sparked by Mitchell’s arrival loom.

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How will the Cavaliers handle the pressure?

Do they have the leadership and maturity to excel under such high expectations with at least four starters age 26 or younger? If Isaac Okoro wins the starting small forward spot, they will have four under 24.

Who will guide them through adversity? Will it be coach J.B. Bickerstaff? Will it be Mitchell, who made the playoffs in all five of his seasons with the Jazz? Will it be veterans such as Kevin Love, Robin Lopez and Ricky Rubio?

Or will they do it together, with their tight bond creating a “spirituality” within the team, as Bickerstaff said Monday?

Bickerstaff doesn’t want the Cavs’ underdog mentality to change and downplayed the idea of a target on their backs.

“I don’t think we’ve done enough to be hunted,” he said after practice at Cleveland Clinic Courts. “Last year, we didn’t make the playoffs. Obviously we improved, but our mindset can’t change. We didn’t accomplish what we wanted to get done. We were all disappointed at the end of last season, from where we started to kind of where it finished.

“So our mentality shouldn’t change, and if it has that’s shame on us. We’ve got to be just as hungry and have that mentality every night no matter what you do because that’s got to be our personality. You can’t become complacent in this league because somebody’s always looking to overtake you.”

Bickerstaff acknowledged that Mitchell boosts the Cavs to another level, especially in terms of attention and outside perception. The Cavs had five nationally televised games scheduled on ESPN (3) and TNT (2) when the schedule was announced on Aug. 17, but networks are already adjusting. On Monday, their Nov. 2 home game against the Boston Celtics was pushed back to a 7:30 p.m. start for ESPN. That is likely just the beginning.

“I get that. That’s fair,” Bickerstaff said of the increased scrutiny. “We talked about last year after the All-Star break, I don’t believe we were the same team as we were before. There was some complacency. There was a sense of accomplishment and a letdown.

“Just because we added Donovan and what he’s expected to bring and what we know he’s capable of, our mindset can’t change. Our core values have to stay the same because if you keep that attitude and focus on your core values and continue to add talent, that’s when you put yourself in the stratosphere of those teams that are contenders, and that’s what our aim is.”

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'We've still got that same underdog mentality'

In 2022, Allen and Darius Garland were first-time All-Stars and Mobley and Okoro participated in All-Star Weekend events. Kevin Love was runner-up for Sixth Man of the Year, and Mobley finished second in Rookie of the Year voting.

Garland and Mobley were not as averse to the “hunted” suggestion as their coach.

“Maybe a little bit, but I feel like we've still got that same underdog mentality,” Mobley said Monday. “We haven't won anything yet. It's nothing to be proud of yet. We still have that same underdog mentality and just really trying to come at people this year.”

Garland felt the same.

"We were hunted last year," Garland said. "But adding 4-5 [Mitchell] to us now, it gets even better. Competition gets better. We've got that target on our back, so we're ready for it. Whatever comes our way, we're ready.”

Garland said they are ready because of their competitive nature and dawg mentality. But they must find consistency, must polish the details, must cut down the turnovers, must jell with Mitchell.

“We're going into this season with confidence. We think that we could have [a chance] to do something really special,” Garland said.

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Cavs players and Bickerstaff continually say they love coming to work every day. The Cavs play with a joyous spirit. They gravitate to each other. Garland said when Bickerstaff left him, Love, Allen and Mitchell home from Friday’s preseason finale at Orlando, they watched it together. The team cheered on the Guardians’ come-from-behind 6-5 American League Division Series victory over the New Yankees Saturday from a Progressive Field loge.

Veterans have belief in young Cavaliers stars

The Cavs seem to have the right attitude, knowing they haven’t accomplished anything. They have a coach to keep them grounded, with Bickerstaff purposely pointing out their 9-15 record after the All-Star Game. They have wisdom from Love and Lopez, both 34, Rubio, 32, and Raul Neto, 30.

For most, it is their first time in the spotlight. They could become the first non-James Cavs team to make the playoffs since 1997-98, when coach Mike Fratello led Shawn Kemp, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Wesley Person and Brevin Knight. That accomplishment would become a huge national storyline.

Five-time All-Star Love has no fear of inevitable adversity because of what it might bring out in the Cavs. He believes they’re ready to be the hunted.

“As we get better, we're going to have more TV games, more focus has got to be on us, more attention,” Love said on media day. “There’s going be that pressure, but that's when you find out who you are. There's going to be adversity, but that's where you find out who you are.

“I think that's the thing I'm looking forward to most because I I know that these guys are more than capable enough for the challenge.”

Being around them and seeing their vibe, their confidence and their camaraderie, it's easy to be convinced.

Marla Ridenour can be reached at mridenour@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/MRidenourABJ.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cleveland Cavaliers dealing with high expectations for 2022-23 season