Darius Garland's new deal reflects fit with Cavs: 'Cleveland felt like home the first day'

MERRILLVILLE, Indiana — When Winston Garland ran into Magic Johnson during a recent family vacation in Hawaii, the former NBA players immediately began commiserating with each other about the monster contracts signed throughout the league nowadays.

“That was the first thing out of [Johnson's] mouth,” Garland recalled. “He was like, 'Can you believe the money that they're making now?' I was like, 'I believe it, but it's tough to believe.'”

A 1987 second-round draft pick of the Milwaukee Bucks who played seven NBA seasons, Garland joked his parents should have waited to have children, thereby giving him a chance to make much more money in a different era.

“My mom and dad were getting it on way too early, man,” he said with a laugh. “They should have waited! That's crazy.”

Darius Garland hit the jackpot on Saturday

Of course, Garland won't complain about his youngest son, Cavaliers All-Star point guard Darius Garland, hitting the jackpot. Garland, the fifth overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, agreed Saturday to a five-year, $193 million rookie max extension that could be worth up to $231 million with escalators, a league source confirmed. It is the largest such deal in franchise history.

The father often kids the son about the disparity in their pay, the elder Garland said last month when the family spoke to the Beacon Journal during a youth basketball camp they hosted in Merrillville, Indiana, which borders their hometown of Gary.

Cleveland feels like home, too.

“Cleveland felt like home the first day I stepped in there, to be honest,” Darius Garland said. “Everybody's so loving, so caring. They see me out there, they come say hi, take a picture. It's like a close-knit city. Everybody knows each other. They support their team and they support their guys.”

Darius Garland's long talk with trainer Jamal Richardson identified as turning point on way to contract extension

The Cavaliers committed to Garland as a cornerstone of the franchise after his breakout 2021-22 season, his third in the NBA. He averaged 21.7 points, 8.6 assists, 3.3 rebounds and 1.3 steals in 68 games en route to finishing third in voting for the NBA’s Most Improved Player award.

Garland and his support system cite confidence as the key to his turnaround.

Jamal Richardson, the co-founder of All Around Game Basketball, has been training Garland since he moved to Tennessee with his family in middle school. Richardson considers a two-hour phone conversation he had with Garland early one morning at the end of his second NBA season pivotal because of the conviction and confidence the latter expressed about his ability to succeed.

“I think year two was the year he needed to show himself and to show that, 'Yeah, I belong in the NBA,'” Richardson said. “Obviously, the first year, rookie year, was rough still trying to get acclimated and since you only played five games in college [before suffering a season-ending knee injury at Vanderbilt University]. You're playing one of the deepest positions, the toughest position in the NBA, and you're thrown into the fire.

“I think that second year really showed [he was ready], and then his preparation that offseason, he was just zeroed in, and I think it was just a matter of getting his confidence. I think his confidence grew, and he started to grow into his voice as a leader as well. Once he hit that stride, there was no looking back from there, which resulted in him being an All-Star.”

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Garland's mother, Felicia, said Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant and Cavaliers coach J.B. Bickerstaff aided her son with his self-assurance.

As a member of USA Basketball's select team and, later, its national team, Garland trained with Durant and other Olympians last summer in Las Vegas.

“Kevin during the game when they play each other, Darius said he told him, 'Man, that last shot, you should have bombed that,'” Felicia Garland said. “Actually, he told him, 'You've gotta bomb that s***.' I'm like, 'Oh, God.' I know him and Damian Lillard, they encouraged him a lot. He was probably the youngest one there, and being with all these greats, they did talk to him and encouraged him to play your game.”

Bickerstaff took control of the Cavs during Garland's rookie season, ascending from associate head coach to the lead role after John Beilein resigned on Feb. 19, 2020.

“I think with J.B., it's "Go for it,'” Felicia Garland said. “Green light — that's exactly what it was.

“I think the staff just put the ball in his hands and told him to just go and do you.”

Darius Garland hopes to build off his All-Star season with Cavaliers

Now Garland, 22, will be counted on to deliver an encore. And adjustments must be made.

“[We're] definitely going to work on more of his base, the degree of him driving right and playing off a wider base in his shot creation,” Richardson said. “Another thing we looked at is drawing fouls, being able to be more physical with initiating contact. I think the second half of the season, you started to see him really do a better job of getting to the free throw line.

“I know he's really big about cutting down on turnovers, so we're watching film on that. We love his aggressiveness in terms of his passing ability, but also to just make sure we value the basketball, especially at the high usage rates that he's at.”

Garland dealt with a bone bruise in his lower back last season,

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“He had a couple injuries this past season, but he's taking that next step physically,” Richardson said. “That's a big to-do list on his part. That's one of his top priorities — physically being better than what he was last year.

“He's very particular about what he eats. He's particular about getting his rest. He's particular about all the little minuscule things that it takes to really be at your best physically. When he hits the weight room, he hits it hard.”

Darius Garland fueled by Cleveland Cavaliers falling short of playoffs

If Garland ever needs motivation to push himself, he can always reflect on how the Cavaliers ended the 2021-22 season with losses to the Nets and Atlanta Hawks in the play-in tournament.

“I know us not making the playoffs was sick for him,” Richardson said. “He didn't even watch the playoffs [early on] because it really just bothered him that we weren't there. But things happen for a reason, and that's going to be a catapult for him to just be better in the offseason. I think they're going to do that as an organization as well.”

Richardson said Garland called him for the heart-to-heart after his second season because he could envision what the Cavaliers could become.

“He really believes that this team is one of the best teams in the NBA and they belong and Cleveland's not a revolving door,” Richardson added. “You're not just going to feel like you can come in here [and get an] easy win. I think that attitude really clicked in that conversation that we had, and he knew in order for this team to take that next step, he had to be better, so it was an accountability conversation. Once he said those words and he really believed those words, there was no looking back.

“He's embraced Cleveland. He kind of embodies what the city represents — a blue-collar guy who's very charismatic, very welcoming, but also a competitor. Cleveland, obviously, with LeBron [James] being there and the precedent that he set in Cleveland and bringing that championship [in 2016], that's what Darius wants to do, and he really believes in this organization. I think the city, just the belief that they have in him, in the team and all those guys, it's very exciting. [It's] a very young core, a very young group with a lot of potential, a lot of pieces that we can propel [to] be back to the promised land, being back to playing in the NBA Finals.”

For Garland, even with his embarrassment of riches, it would be priceless.

Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cavaliers All-Star Darius Garland rewarded after breakout year