Cup of Cavs: Cleveland Cavaliers news and links for Friday, January 7

First week of 2022 in the books! Why not finish off the week with a nice Cup of Cavs?

The first sip

The NBA posted the current tally of All-Star voting by fans yesterday afternoon. The results are encouraging thus far: Jarrett Allen is sixth among frontcourt players, while Darius Garland is ninth among guards.

Take from this what you will. Neither Cavalier was ever going to make the All-Star team through fan voting—Garland is behind Kyrie Irving, who didn’t play until this week—but it can only be a good sign that Allen and Garland’s play this season has earned them some national recognition.

Let’s go through this list. Kevin Durant, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Joel Embiid, James Harden and DeMar DeRozan are locks, and should be the starting five. Remove LaMarcus Aldridge, Kyrie Irving, Derrick Rose and Tyler Herro from the equation and there are seven spots for Allen, Garland, Jayson Tatum, Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, Miles Bridges and Nikola Vucevic in the frontcourt; and Zach LaVine, Trae Young, LaMelo Ball, Fred VanVleet.

I’d tab Allen as slightly more likely to make the team. Reserves are chosen irrespective of position but All-Star rosters generally maintain some positional balance, and both of Miami’s (real) candidates a.) are frontcourt players and b.) have missed a huge portion of this season. Garland, meanwhile, falls a tier below Young and LaVine, alongside VanVleet and Ball. It wouldn’t be the least bit surprising if he makes the team, but with the Cavs sliding somewhat recently, their odds of getting two hometown representatives are dwindling.

Read this

Katie Heindl (the best) on DeMar DeRozan (also the best)

Links of the day

Cavs–Grizzlies rivalry in the works, anyone?

The Athletic couldn’t drain enough blood from local newspapers, I guess?

Monty Williams rules

Now there’s a (masked) face we’ve all been waiting to see again!